“The road to reunification is not an easy one”, but Europe and Cyprus “will walk together with patience, with persistence” and the understanding that “our generation can be the one to find a way forward”, European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, said during a short debate in the Plenary of the body in Strasbourg, commenting on the recent developments in the Cyprus issue after the informal meeting on Cyprus in a broader format in Geneva.
After Metsola’s intervention, there was a round of statements from representatives of the political groups of the European Parliament, including by Cypriot MEPs.
“The informal meeting on Cyprus that took place in Geneva last March marked an important step towards the reunification of the island”, Metsola noted.
“This Parliament stands resolute in supporting the UN led process because we know that dialogue and diplomacy are the only path to a lasting solution. We remain committed to supporting Cyprus on its journey towards reunification,” she stressed.
“This was my message to President Christodoulides when I welcomed him at the Parliament and to the United Nations Secretary General Guterres when we met in Brussels” she noted.
“We must now seize this momentum and transform opportunity into hope. Europe will always stand with Cyprus as we seek paths forward” the President of the European Parliament continued.
“The road to reunification is not an easy one, but it is one that we will walk together with patience, with persistence and with an understanding that our generation can be the one to find a way forward” she added.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
UN Secretary General announced that an informal meeting on Cyprus in a broader format will be held at the end of July, following a similar meeting in Geneva, on March 17-18. Antonio Guterres also announced that he will appoint a new personal envoy on Cyprus to prepare the next steps, while the two sides agreed to proceed with a number of initiatives, involving the opening of crossing points, the creation of a Technical Committee on Youth and other initiatives in the buffer zone and throughout the island.