President of the House of Representatives Yiannakis Omirou has said that the international community must exert pressure on Turkey ahead of the resumption of the Cyprus talks, noting however the absence of the EU in the whole process.
In statements today in Limassol, Omirou said that the EU has responsibilities towards Cyprus, since the Cyprus problem is a European one.
In the past years, he said, the EU has not been playing any significant role in the efforts to reach a political settlement in Cyprus.
He recalled that in 2005 the EU has adopted its EU – Turkey Negotiation Framework, in which it is underlined that Ankara must recognize the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state since 2004, must implement the Ankara Protocol and cooperate for a Cyprus solution, based on the relevant UNSC resolutions and the European principles and values, so that the EU – Turkey accession negotiations can proceed.
“Where is the EU presence? Where is the EU representative at the negotiations? We haven`t seen him, we haven`t heard him” Omirou said, underlining that the EU should be presence at the Cyprus talks to make sure that the provisions of a future political solution in Cyprus are compatible with the European acquis communautaire.
Omirou said that although there is a new Turkish Cypriot leader, one must never forget that the decisions are taken by Ankara and not by the Turkish Cypriots.
It is up to Turkey to reach a solution of the Cyprus problem, he went on to note, urging the international community to exert its pressure on Ankara.
The Republic of Cyprus became a full EU member state in 2004. More than one third of the territory of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus is occupied by Turkish troops since the invasion in the summer of 1974. UN-led Cyprus talks are expected to resume in the coming weeks.