European Council chairman Charles Michel has asked to speak to the President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades prior to his meeting with the Turkish President in Brussels, Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said on Sunday.
Christodoulides noted that there are unanimous and binding decisions that determine a lot of the issues that Tayip Erdogan will try to acquire for his benefit during his meeting with Michel.
Speaking to the press in Limassol, the Christodoulides said that the recent foreign affairs council meeting and the EU interior ministers’ meeting in Brussels were clear that using human pain and migrants to reap political benefits is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the EU under no circumstances.
He said that there are some EU member states which believe that extra financial support to Turkey, in the wake of the new migration crisis, will cause it to refrain from adopting policies as witnessed in recent days, either in Greece, in Bulgaria, or in Cyprus.
Such thing, he added, cannot lead to a solution of the problems, on the contrary, it will reaffirm Erdogan’s policy. The EU is clear that this cannot solve the problem, Christodoulides said.
He also said that the EU Council chairman will hold a telephone conversation with President Anastasiades before his meeting with Erdogan.
Responding to questions, Christodoulides said many of the issues that Erdogan is seeking require unanimity at EU level. He repeated that the Republic of Cyprus is one of the member states that wants Turkey’s accession course to continue but at the same time, this solely depends on Turkey.
“Therefore, Turkey knows very well which actions it must take for its accession procedure to continue. From there on, there are decisions at a foreign ministers’ level and heads of state and government and these decisions bind everyone”, he added.
Regarding the increasing influx of migrants to Cyprus, Christodoulides said that the interior minister has taken several actions in recent days, both internally and within the EU, “so that we can cope these new challenges”.
The Republic of Cyprus, he added, is a country that does not wish to cause problems to people in need. The real reason, he said, that the “EU’s help is required is because those who require international protection, will have access to it, always within our reach”.
Those who exploit the situation and do not require international protection, will have to return to their countries.
Asked to comment on Saturday’s incidents at Ledra crossing point, where a demonstration has taken place to protest the closure, the Foreign Minister said that the closing of the four checkpoints is clearly an issue of public health.
