The work of the European Council, in which the President of the Republic, Mr.Nicos Anastasiades, participated, was concluded in the late afternoon of March 25.
On the first day of the meeting, President Anastasiades was one of the European leaders who intervened during the exchange of views with the US President, Mr. Joe Biden.[ADDRESSING HIS US COUNTERPART, HE REITERATED HIS CONDEMNATION OF THE RUSSIAN ATTACK ON UKRAINE AND praised both the support given to the Ukrainian people and the unity shown by the EU and the United States in their overall response. He added that the Western world should continue to support diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire and an end to the war.
During the discussion that followed among the members of the European Council, the President made specific reference to the humanitarian disaster in Ukraine and the millions of Ukrainian refugees, while welcoming the EU's decision to grant them temporary protection status. After explaining the situation in Cyprus in relation to the reception of refugees from Ukraine, President Anastasiades noted that, for a people who know first-hand what war and refugees mean, our assistance to the Ukrainian people was a given from the very first moment.
Commenting on the issue of filling the gaps observed in relation to the implementation of the sanctions the EU has imposed against Russia, President Anastasiades pointed out that the biggest gaps relate to third countries such as Turkey, reiterating that Turkey's refusal to align with EU sanctions is not only self-serving, but undermines the intended impact of the sanctions.
Given that Turkey continues to militarily occupy a large part of Cyprus, which is under its absolute control, its circumvention of the sanctions has a serious negative impact on all EU Member States and - to a very large extent - on Cyprus, proving once again that it is not interested in being a reliable partner for the European Union.
Having said that, and referring to Turkey, the President of the Republic requested and achieved the inclusion of language in the text of the Conclusions calling on all countries without exception to align themselves with these sanctions and calling for any attempt to circumvent the sanctions to stop. President Anastasiades also stressed the need to speed up discussions on the creation of a mechanism to mitigate the economic impact of Russian sanctions on the most affected partners, in particular those whose key economic sectors have been affected.
During the general discussions and bilateral contacts that President Anastasiades had, he pointed out a number of parallels between the war in Ukraine and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and its various derivatives. He also briefed on the Confidence Building Measures he has proposed with the aim of creating a climate of confidence and preparing the ground for the resumption of the negotiation process towards a settlement of the Cyprus problem, on the basis of the agreed form of a bizonal bicommunal federation solution.
On the second day of the Summit, energy was the most important item on the agenda.
On the second day of the Summit, energy was the most important item on the agenda. Two aspects were at the heart of the discussion: Firstly, the strategic importance of the EU's energy independence as an imperative in the rapidly changing geopolitical environment and the diversification of its sources of supply and, secondly, the examination of ways to cope with rising energy prices.
President Anastasiades recalled Cyprus' long-standing position in favour of strengthening the EU's energy security through the diversification of our sources and routes of supply and noted that the main challenge for Cyprus is to accelerate the completion of all remaining energy interconnections, which will remove Cyprus' isolation from European networks and allow the completion of the EU's single electricity market.
He went on to say that at the regional level, a coordinated approach of our credible international partners is crucial. Eastern Mediterranean countries such as Egypt and Israel, as well as Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, can contribute significantly to the diversification of the EU's energy routes and sources and its green transition. Cyprus, due to its excellent relations with these countries, is ready to play its role and especially at this juncture, the President concluded.
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
