On Tuesday 20 October, the day after Ersin Tatar’s election as president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – which is only recognised by Turkey – Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Elisa Ferreira, the European Commissioner for Cohesion, called for a commitment to reunifying the island of Cyprus.
“It is important now to see a constructive engagement with a view to reaching a comprehensive settlement and reunification”, they said in a joint press release.
Ferreira and Borrell reiterated the EU’s support for resuming negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations and expressed the Union's willingness to play an active role in supporting the negotiations.
“The EU remains fully committed to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, and of reunification based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, within the UN framework and in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, including UNSC resolutions 550 and 789, and in line with the principles on which the EU is founded”, said the Commissioner and the High Representative.
Tatar won 51.74 per cent of the vote in the second round of the election on Sunday 18 October, where he was competing with the incumbent, Mustafa Akinci. Whereas Akinci, who had fallen out with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, supported reunification of the island and creation of a federal state, Tatar, who is close to Turkey, is in favour of a two-state solution.
A few days before the presidential election, in his capacity as Prime Minister, he had decided to reopen Varosha beach to the public, in breach of UN resolutions (see EUROPE 12576/23). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)