On Wednesday 17 July, the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, promised that Parliament would not shy away from the Cyprus question. Almost 50 years ago, on 20 July 1974, Turkey invaded the island of Cyprus, which remains divided to this day.
“On this sad anniversary, the message from this Parliament is that we will not turn our gaze away from Cyprus. We are one. The challenges faced by Cyprus are our challenges, and the EU will not be complete, as long as Cyprus is divided”, she promised at the opening of the voting session.
According to Ms Metsola, the European Parliament has a responsibility to draw on its experience of cooperation “to bring people together so that we can achieve a single sovereign state and a bi-zonal federation in line with the UN Security Council resolution and the values of the EU”.
The president pointed out that the division of a Member State was a matter for the EU and that it was a problem that needed to be tackled at a European level. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)