EU Special Envoy Johannes Hahn kicked off his round of contacts in Cyprus on Thursday with meetings with President Nikos Christodoulides and the two mayors of the divided capital.
Speaking during his meeting with Christodoulides, the former EU Enlargement Commissioner said the time had come to deliver on the Cyprus issue.
“I believe now is time to deliver, after all these difficult moments I think there is now an opportunity, I won’t say the last one, but there is an opportunity,” said Hahn.
EU expects president to pave way for solution
Addressing the president, Hahn said: “Europe very much counts on you to find a good relationship with the Turkish Cypriot leader in order to pave the way, not only for the resumption but for a final positive solution” to the Cyprus issue.
“Be sure that if it is up to me, then we will succeed,” Christodoulides replied.
Welcoming the Austrian national to the Presidential Palace, Christodoulides said he was very glad to have Hahn involved in the new push for peace and to see that he would also meet with the Turkish Cypriot leader.
The EU special envoy – who was appointed last May to collaborate with the UN on peace efforts – will meet with Tufan Erhürman on Friday, as well as other relevant actors during his stay, including UN Personal Envoy María Ángela Holguín.
The president added: “We lost two and a half years and now is the time to discuss substance.” He said his aim was to resume talks where they left off in 2017, noting that EU participation can pave the way to achieve that and ultimately a solution.
After meeting Hahn, Christodoulides is due to meet later this afternoon with Erhürman and Holguín at the UN-controlled old Nicosia airport.
Added value for ordinary citizens
Speaking to reporters after his near two-hour meeting with the president, Hahn said: “We agreed, and I can’t say anything more than it’s now time to deliver. We know what should be done and I am very optimistic that a solution could be found on due time. Everybody has to work hard on it, but it should be feasible. If there is a will there is also a result.”
Asked what EU participation in the talks should look like, he said “any kind of solution can only be achieved with the inclusion of the EU. I am trying to work hard on it. I am the Special Envoy of the EU but, of course, it’s about finding a good compromise, which is in the interest of Cyprus’ citizens, to create added value for ordinary citizens, to have even better perspective in living conditions in all parts of the island.”
He added that the EU's aim is to resolve the conflict today, since this is in everybody’s interest.
EU-Turkey relations and the EU’s ‘positive’ touch
Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna, who was also present, welcomed the fact the EU and Hahn were intensifying their efforts on the Cyprus issue. She said Hahn informed them about a series of contacts he had had with EU foreign ministers, which will continue, adding that he is also making efforts to visit Ankara.
She highlighted the importance of Hahn’s scheduled meeting with Erhürman, stressing: “There can be no comprehensive solution to the Cyprus issue without the EU, precisely because the Republic of Cyprus is an EU member state.”
Raouna pointed to the EU’s more active involvement in the process through the appointment of a political figure such as Hahn who is “extremely well-versed in EU-Turkey relations,” an issue that came up in the morning meeting.
The deputy minister echoed the president’s view that the EU has the tools that can function positively and decisively towards resuming talks and ensuring they progress once started. The thinking behind this is that the EU can leverage its relationship with Turkey to convince Ankara to return to a federal-based solution framework.
At the same time, Raouna highlighted the “extremely positive effect” the EU had on previous rounds of negotiations to achieve progress, noting that any solution must also be consistent with the EU body of laws, principles and values.
Meeting with local leaders
Meanwhile, Hahn also met jointly with the two local representatives of the divided capital during his stay – Charalambos Prountzos and Mehmet Harmancı. Speaking after their meeting at the Home for Cooperation in the buffer zone, Harmancı wrote on social media that the three discussed opportunities for cooperation between the two local authorities and new ideas that could contribute towards the peace process.
He said the discussion focused on the need for local administrations to play a more active role in relations between the two communities and with the EU in future. Harmancı called on the EU to end Turkish Cypriot isolation and bring both communities and the EU closer together.