The Republic of Cyprus is monitoring and evaluating developments on a daily basis with regard to the visa liberalization process for Turkish citizens, Government Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said on Monday.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Christodoulides added that technical experts of the government have already addressed the issue during internal meetings.
The position of Cyprus advocates the need for all states, aiming at a visa-free regime for their citizens travelling to the EU, to implement all necessary criteria vis-à-vis all member states, including the Republic of Cyprus, Christodoulides stressed.
He added that the European Commission is expected to present on Wednesday its third progress report to the Council of the EU, evaluating Turkey`s progress with regard to the fulfilling of the 72 criteria for visa-free travel. A discussion by the member states comprising the Council will follow.
This is a legislative process that requires a debate at the European Parliament, as well as its consent, Christodoulides concluded.
On 18 March 2016, EU Heads of State or Government and Turkey agreed to end irregular migration from Turkey to the EU and replace it instead with legal channels of resettlement of refugees to the European Union. The agreement took effect as of 20 March 2016, and 4 April 2016 was set as the target date for the start of the return of people arriving in Greece after 20 March and of the first resettlements.
As a part of the EU-Turkey statement of 18 March, it was agreed that the fulfillment of the visa liberalization roadmap, originally foreseen for autumn 2016, would be accelerated. The aim is to lift visa requirements for Turkish citizens by the end of June 2016, at the latest.