Merkel: Turkey played a major role in lack of Cyprus solution

German chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday said Turkey has played an important role in the failure to reach a negotiated settlement on Cyprus.
“We have a very large problem when it comes to Cyprus. For years we’ve been striving to find a solution but until today it has not been possible, and Turkey has played a major role,” Merkel told a press conference in Berlin.
Her remarks came ahead of a key EU-Turkey summit set for March 26 in Varna, Bulgaria – the current EU term president – bringing together EU leaders and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Merkel was responding to a question put to her by the Cyprus News Agency regarding the recent standoff over hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean.
She was also asked about tensions between Greece and Turkey, after Turkish authorities detained two Greek soldiers.
The two officers were seized 11 days ago after allegedly being found in a “forbidden military zone” deep in Turkish territory. The soldiers say they inadvertently strayed across the frontier in bad weather.
“The Turkish president has already visited Greece, something which had not taken place for a long time. I am pleased that [Greek prime minister] Alexis Tsipras has many contacts with Turkey despite the tensions,” Merkel said.
Asked about the new German coalition government’s policy on Turkey, Merkel stressed that they will continue talks with their Turkish counterparts, and address issues of disagreement through dialogue.
“We cannot hide our differences, but communication channels should remain open. Because we are dependent on each other,” she added.
The German chancellor praised Turkey’s efforts for more than three million refugees who fled Syria’s civil war.
“Turkey has done a great job for refugees,” she said, stressing that the EU remains committed to the refugee agreement with Turkey, including its financial commitments.
Concerning the EU’s expectations of Ankara on democracy and human rights, Merkel argued that deepening the EU-Turkey Customs Union – a long-time goal of Ankara – would depend on progress in these areas.
“Only through talks, and sometimes through controversial talks, can we move forward,” Merkel said.

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.