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The President of the Republic Mr.Nicos Christodoulides, who is in Brussels for the European Council on 29 and 30 June, made statements to the media on his arrival at the Council building.
In his introductory statement, the President of the Republic said the following. I would like to focus on two in particular. The first one concerns the issue of migration, not only because of the tragic event we have seen recently, but because of the summer period we have massive arrivals of migrants in Cyprus.
As the European Union, yes, there have been some positive developments recently, such as the agreement reached at the level of the Ministers of Interior and Justice and we expect it to pass through the European Parliament soon, but we need to do more.
As the European Union, yes, there have been some positive developments recently, such as the agreement reached at the level of the Ministers of Interior and Justice and we expect it to pass through the European Parliament soon, but we need to do more. What has been achieved with Tunisia is a good example to build on, but we need to move immediately.
The second issue that I think is particularly important is the working lunch with the NATO Secretary General. We know very well that the NATO Summit in Lithuania will take place soon. For us it is of particular importance, especially in the margins and the meetings that will take place with the Turkish President. One of the issues that will be discussed, certainly Sweden's accession is the most important issue, is also the effort that is being made to resume the talks, with the European Union having a more active role.
And I would like to express my satisfaction that, following our own initiative, the European Council's conclusions reflect the readiness of the European Union to contribute at all stages and in the effort today to break the deadlock, but also after the start of the talks, and the fact that there is also a reference to the Euro-Turkish issue. It was something that we sought, to make this connection, and we hope to create those facts that will lead us to the goal of resuming the talks.
I said earlier that this European Council is the first milestone, the second is the NATO meeting and the third is the United Nations General Assembly. We are in contact with the United Nations and we and the institutions of the European Union, but also the member states of the European Union, so that all actions are synchronized in order to achieve the objective of resuming the talks."
Asked by a journalist about the proposal for an envoy for the Cyprus problem and where it fits into the reports we have today, the President of the Republic replied. They see the added value of appointing a personality. Moreover, that is why there is also a reference in the conclusions that the European Union is ready to be involved in all stages of the effort, and now in breaking the deadlock and resuming the talks, precisely so that there is this synchronisation, because it is also related to the contacts that will be made with Mr Erdogan at the NATO Summit in Lithuania. We have begun discussions, as I said, on specific names and we hope that the data will be created, so that in the very near future we will have a specific announcement on the person in question."
On the issues discussed by the 27 leaders in the context of the Cyprus issue, the President of the Republic noted: "There will be an update from me on the efforts. I should say that yesterday I had telephone contact with both the German Chancellor and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. We know that both countries have excellent relations with Turkey. They discussed with Mr Erdogan, they will also meet in Lithuania. I will now have a meeting with the Prime Minister of Italy and there will also be an update on contacts with the United Nations.
I should say that recently there was a meeting in France organised by the French President where the Secretary General of the United Nations was also present. The President of the Council was also present, and one of the issues that was discussed was precisely this cooperation between the European Union and the United Nations to break the deadlock and resume the talks."
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