The EU has a role to play in efforts for a Cyprus solution, in safeguarding the Union`s functionality through a reunified Cyprus, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said on Monday.
He was speaking at an event, in Nicosia, dedicated to the late alternate Foreign Minister of Greece Yiannos Kranidiotis.
The EU is not expected to act as the advocate for Greek Cypriot positions in Cyprus talks, but to express its opinion on the various proposals the two sides submit on the negotiations` table, Kasoulides clarified.
He went on by saying that the negotiated solution must be compatible with the acquis communautaire and the function of the EU, according to the Lisbon Treaty.
The Foreign Minister urged moreover Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot community to abandon their “unacceptable and unproductive” pursuit of permanent derogations in the primary law, which, as he noted, will in the end be to the detriment of Turkish Cypriots themselves.
Talking in particular about the Turkish position of incorporating derogations in EU primary law, the Foreign Minster noted that this is impossible, since it requires the ratification of the parliaments of all member states, including those of Cyprus and Greece.
Kasoulides also referred to the benefits of a solution and noted that Cyprus is becoming an important partner for the countries of the region.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third
