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The President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Nicos Christodoulides, met today in Strasbourg with the President of the European Parliament, Ms Roberta Metsola.
President Christodoulides arrived in the morning at the European Parliament building, where he addressed its plenary session.
Upon his arrival, the President of the Republic was welcomed by President Metsola and then the National Anthem of the Republic of Cyprus and the EU Anthem were played.
A meeting followed, after which the two Presidents made statements to the media.
Welcoming President Christodoulides, Ms Metsola said, inter alia, that she and the President of the Republic had already met in Brussels, London, Frankfurt and Moldova since the day he took office, and referred to the European Parliament's commitment to Cyprus' priorities.
She added: "I have said it many times and I repeat it. As long as Cyprus is divided, Europe will never be complete. You are not alone in your desire to see your island reunited under the auspices of the United Nations," Ms Metsola said, noting that during their meeting today they exchanged views on various issues of common interest including migration.
As the President of the European Parliament said, no Member State can manage the issue alone, noting that we can deal with the issue and protect our borders in a humanitarian way.
For his part, President Christodoulides thanked Ms Metsola for the opportunity to address the Plenary of the European Parliament upon invitation and three months after taking office.
President Christodoulides also said that he looked forward to his next meeting with Ms Metsola who will be in Cyprus at the start of the European elections campaign.
He added that during their meeting today they had substantive talks on the Cyprus problem, noting: "we are doing everything possible to resume the talks and I look forward to the support of the European Parliament. The EU can play a leading role in our efforts to restart the negotiations."
Finally, he thanked Ms Metsola for her interest and clear positions on the Cyprus problem, adding that during their meeting they also discussed migration, issues of common interest and the upcoming European elections.
The two Presidents then responded to a question whether the EU can be a game changer in the Cyprus problem and in what way, and to a remark that the President of Turkey expressed a desire to continue Turkey's European course and in the light of this statement how President Christodoulides' proposal can come to fruition, Ms. Metsola said: "the Cyprus problem is not only a Cypriot issue, it is also a European issue. And I believe that an increased EU involvement in all stages of the negotiation can only be helpful, especially since the solution should be properly compliant with the European acquis.
Of course, it is clear that the solution must be found within the framework of the United Nations, and the EU, possibly through an envoy of the appropriate calibre, would facilitate a new impetus to the negotiations so that they can be re-launched.
And the re-launch of the talks must be our first step and priority.
I will make this as clear as possible. The only way forward is to have a single, sovereign, European state with a bizonal, bicommunal federation in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.
We should also bear in mind that Cyprus has joined the EU in its entirety and has need and reasons for European engagement."
For his part, the President of the Republic thanked Ms Metsola for her clear position and said: "the active engagement of the EU, especially at this juncture, especially now that we are trying to break the deadlock and restart the Cyprus settlement talks, yes, I really believe that it (the EU) could be the game changer, the EU has all the necessary tools, the incentives across the whole spectrum of Euro-Turkish relations, that could lead to a win-win situation for all parties concerned.
And I fully agree with Ms Metsola, the Cyprus problem is a European problem, Cyprus is an EU member state, it will continue to be an EU member state after the solution and we need the EU to be actively involved, always within the framework of the United Nations. The EU will not replace the UN but support the efforts of the UN."
(RM/MB/SX)
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