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Nicosia, Cyprus – The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, called on Turkey to respect its obligations and to recognize Cyprus as a sovereign state.
Speaking after the closing of the Fifth Summit of the Southern European Union (SEUS) at the Filoxenia Conference Center on Tuesday, Mr Anastasiades also supported the resumption of negotiations with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) as part of a UN-supported reunification plan. a result that unites the Greek and Turkish Cypriots would be beneficial for the island.
"What we are waiting for is to find a functional solution that will ensure its viability, always on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions," he said.
The President also stressed "the need for Turkey to fulfill all its obligations towards Cyprus, including with regard to cooperation and the effective implementation of the readmission agreement with Cyprus". European Union, without discrimination. "
The joint statement issued at the end of the summit also called on Turkey to normalize its relations with the Republic of Cyprus by "lifting the restrictions in its ports and airports / airspace towards Cyprus and the companies in the country". EU related to Cyprus ".
Leaders from six other countries, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras, Joseph Muscat, Giuseppe Conte and Antonio Costa from Greece, Malta, Italy and Portugal, participated in the meeting. Foreign Minister Joseph Borrell Fontelles represented Spain.
Turkey and hydrocarbons
Yusel Vural, a political scientist at the Eastern Mediterranean University, said that it was "predictable" that since Cyprus' accession to the European Union in 2004, the government of influence of the block on the Cyprus problem would increase.
"We are now at a stage where a group of EU members are trying to highlight their direct involvement in the conflict in Cyprus," Vural told Al Jazeera, noting that the EU's role exceeded "symbolic solidarity with the Republic of Cyprus led by Greek Cypriots."
The discovery of offshore natural gas in 2014-2015, in which the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot parties felt they had an interest, raised tensions over whether co-ownership of hydrocarbon resources could be achieved with Turkey so heavily involved in Turkish Cyprus.
"The points agreed at the summit also demonstrate that the southern members of the EU are not willing to accept the Turkish Cypriot position and Turkey in view of the politicization of the hydrocarbons issue in the intercommunal negotiations", said Vural, referring to peace negotiations aimed at ending the partition of the Mediterranean island since 1974.
Ankara's recognition of Turkish Cypriots declaring the northern part of Cyprus as a separatist state is one of the main reasons why Turkey is at a standstill when it wants to be accepted as a member of the EU.
"It seems that the conflict between Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus on the problems of hydrocarbons is gradually turning into a conflict between the EU and Turkey," said Mr Vural.
"Turkey's conscious and unconscious initiatives to distance itself from the West and in particular its transition to the Russian-Iranian alliance in its foreign policy preferences seem to continue to deepen this conflict", was he continued.
"However, this does not exclude the possibility that the Turkish Cypriot community could join the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus to explore the hydrocarbon resources of the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus."
Cyprus first recipient of migrants in the EU
The summit, which is based on issues of common European interest, also addressed the issue of migration, the main theme of SEUS.
United Nations Migration Agency (IOM), IOM reported that during the first 27 days of 2019, 5,757 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea, a slight increase over the 5,502 arrived during the same period last year.
While Balkan roads were closed in northern Europe, migrants and refugees were increasingly using the Mediterranean to reach the continent, while countries like Italy refused to go to Europe. authorize the boarding of rescue vessels on its coasts.
Cyprus has witnessed a boom in the mbadive influx of migrants, both by sea and by the porous 180 km buffer zone, making it the country that receives the highest number of asylum seekers per capita in the EU (6,000 compared to a million inhabitants).
The joint statement stated that "the landing of rescued migrants in the Mediterranean should be dealt with by permanent solutions, based on the principles of solidarity, responsibility and within the framework of international law, guaranteeing their order of safeguarding life in the Mediterranean" .
He also stated that he would reform the Common European Asylum System so as to guarantee solidarity and responsibility among the Member States in order to alleviate the pressures to which the southern states of the European Union have been subjected. EU are confronted, without, however, providing a concrete plan.
"I think Nicosia should take the initiative and propose specific measures within the EU," said Andreas Theophanous, president of the Cyprus Center for European and International Affairs.
"He has the legitimacy to ask and [will find] support in this case. "
According to Theophanous, some would say that certain aspects of the process of illegal immigration to Cyprus are supported by Turkey, in the perspective of the "hybrid war".
"Turkey has changed the structure of the population in the north of the country, the majority of them being settlers," he said. "Also, most people who come to Cyprus [from the buffer zone] would not have done it without Turkey who would tolerate that. "
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