Cyprus and Greece welcomed the moves by the EU and Turkey to engage in consultations for the promotion of their relations, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during an official visit to Cyprus.
He was speaking at a joint press conference after talks with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.
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“Cyprus and Greece welcome the rapprochement between the EU and Turkey, but the process must be gradual and also reversible,” Mitsotakis added.
Christodoulides said that a positive agenda by the EU in relation to Turkey is important for efforts to promote a Cyprus solution that could end the island’s partition brought about by the Turkish military operation against the eastern Mediterranean island in 1974.
He added that accepting a positive agenda by the EU in relation to Turkey was conditional on “positive moves” by Turkey over Cyprus and particularly on accepting a restart of the Cyprus peace negotiations along the lines described in UN Security Council resolutions.
The two leaders also said that Cyprus and Greece were eager to help Turkey’s efforts to promote its relations with the EU in several areas, including a visa concession for Turkish nationals visiting EU countries and an upgrading of an EU-Turkey customs union.
They also spoke about the close relations of their countries, which will be further advanced at a meeting of a newly formed Supreme Cooperation Council of Greece and Cyprus, with the participation of the two leaders and Ministers from the two countries.
Christodoulides announced that as a gesture of friendship and solidarity Cyprus will cover the cost of the reforestation of parts of forest land that was burned down by wildfires last week on the island of Rhodes in Greece.
