Anastasiades urges EU leaders to be more decisive on Turkey’s illegal activities

President Nicos Anastasiades on Friday briefed the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice President Josep Borrell, on Ankara’s illegal activities in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and reiterated that the EU needs to be more decisive on the issue.

During the discussion, participants referred to the destabilising character of the illegal actions, as well as to the risks for the broader region and their negative impact on the whole spectrum of EU-Turkey relations.

Anastasiades told the EU leaders, according to a spokesman, that the EU needed to be more decisive by safeguarding the interests and principles on which the Union was founded.

Spokesman Kyriacos Kousios said the teleconference, which took place in the presence of Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides, also discussed the migration issue, the multiannual fiscal framework, and the EU’s recovery plan in the context of dealing with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

“In particular, regarding Turkey’s continued illegal actions in the Republic of Cyprus’ EEZ and the Eastern Mediterranean in general, President Anastasiades, Michel and Borrell referred to the destabilising nature of these illegal actions and the dangers they pose,” said Kousios.

“During the discussion, there was an understanding as to the role the EU must play, closely following developments, condemning Ankara’s illegal actions and decisively insisting for the implementation of its decisions.”

On the multiannual fiscal framework and recovery plan, Anastasiades said Cyprus needs to be aided, as it has certain challenges to overcome as an island nation, and its lack of connectivity with the EU.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.