Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides on Thursday holds talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin where he is expected to push once again for active EU involvement in peace talks on the divided island, reported In-Cyprus.com
This is a proposal so far rejected by Turkish Cypriots who call for cooperation between two states – a demand which violates UN resolutions on Cyprus which is divided since a 1974 invasion by Turkey.
Christodoulides who is paying a working visit to Germany met on Wednesday with European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde in Frankfurt.
Christodoulides is pushing for a European personality, a well-known public figure who would be able to help restart reunification talks within a UN framework, but no persons have been named so far.
According to the Cyprus News Agency, Christodoulides and Scholz will have a face-to-face meeting followed by extended talks between delegations of the two countries.
Christodoulides has been pushing for a greater EU role on the Cyprus Problem since he launched an initiative when he assumed office in March.
UN-brokered peace talks in Cyprus on the basis of a bicommunal federal model have failed over the years, with Christodoulides trying to revive the effort through Brussels in recent months.
“I am taking about the need for a more active and greater involvement of the EU within the framework of the United Nations,” Christodoulides has repeatedly said.
But Turkish Cypriots have described the European Union’s involvement as “biased” while Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar has publicly rejected Christodoulides’ initiative.