EU will ‘never’ accept two-state deal on Cyprus
NICOSIA (Reuters) – The European Union will “never, ever” accept a two-state deal on ethnically-split Cyprus, the head of its executive said on Thursday.
Ursula von der Leyen, who was visiting Cyprus, said the European Union spoke with one voice on the conflict, which has dragged on for decades and is a key hurdle in Turkey’s ambitions of joining the bloc.
“I want to repeat that we will never, ever accept a two-state solution. We are firm on that and very united,” von der Leyen told a news conference.
Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek inspired coup. The south is run by an internationally recognized government which represents the entire island in the European Union, while the north is a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state recognized only by Ankara.
United Nations-led efforts which predate 1974 events have failed to unite the island. The present stalemate is steeped in disagreements of the form unification could take – a union of two independent states advocated by a new Turkish Cypriot leadership, or as a loose federation advocated by Greek Cypriots representing Cyprus internationally.
Talks in Geneva earlier this year on the matter ended inconclusively.
Disagreement has also focused on competing claims over offshore energy reserves, a dispute
connected to quarrels between Turkey and Greece, a key ally of the Greek Cypriots.
“Our neighbors have (an) interest in good bilateral relations. If this is the case, and we also have an interest in good bilateral relations, I want our neighbors to know that if they speak to one of our member states, like for example Cyprus, in whatever tone, they speak to the European Union,” von der Leyen said.
The European Union’s executive also approved on Thursday Cyprus’s plan to spend €1.2 billion ($1.41b.) worth of special funds from the EU, aimed at restarting economic growth mauled by the pandemic.