Kombos defends acceptance of Turkish FM at EU meeting

Turkey’s participation in the unofficial EU foreign affairs council meeting on August 29 was based on the decisions made in a recent EU Council report, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said on Tuesday.

Back in April, the EU sent the message that if Turkey will engage actively and constructively in the Cyprus talks, there will be corresponding progress in Euro-Turkish relations.

Explaining the thinking behind the decision to have Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to participate in the council meeting next week, Kombos said it is not something that is happening for the first time and it does not mean the “Greek-Cypriot side is conceding”.

To get a positive response from the government, he added, the efforts being made to resume the Cyprus talks were also considered, noting that during the informal council he will make a reference to the Cyprus problem.

Commenting on the critical reactions to Turkish participation expressed by the co-governing parties, Kombos said that they are respected, noting that differences on the Cyprus issue existed even before the presidential elections.

Last week, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said Cyprus was in no way pressured to greenlight Fidan’s participation in the upcoming informal EU Council foreign ministers’ meeting.

He was referring to the informal meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels on August 29.

This would also pave the way for Kombos to meet Fidan. No official statements have been made yet as to whether Fidan has accepted the invitation.

According to Letymbiotis, Nicosia’s approach was a strategic move and an act of good will as part of the government’s commitment to resume negotiations on the Cyprus problem, he told the state broadcaster.

He described it as proof of Cyprus’ constructive stance and it was now on Turkey to do the same.