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Cyprus Urges Turkey to Drop Two-State Demand to Revive EU Membership Talks
Cyprus has told Turkey that progress on its stalled EU membership bid is impossible unless Ankara abandons its push for a two-state solution on the divided island. After talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, President Nikos Christodoulides said Turkey’s stance blocks its EU ambitions and disqualifies it from accessing European defence funds.
Cyprus said on Friday that Turkey must abandon its insistence on a two-state solution for the divided island if it expects to make any headway in its long-stalled bid to join the European Union.
Speaking in Berlin after talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said Turkey’s position on Cyprus remains a major obstacle to its EU ambitions. He also argued that Ankara should not be allowed access to the EU’s defence fund, known as SAFE, noting that despite Turkey’s NATO membership, it has no defence or security agreements with the European Union.
Merz said Christodoulides had asked for Germany’s support in efforts to break the deadlock over Cyprus and highlighted Berlin’s strong relationship with Ankara.
“We discussed various options for how this could be achieved,” Merz said at a joint press conference. “We also discussed a very concrete proposal that I found compelling, and one that could allow us to take a step forward during Cyprus’s presidency. I expressed the German government’s readiness to participate actively in this process.”
Cyprus will assume the EU’s rotating presidency in January. There are no diplomatic relations between Cyprus and Turkey, which has been an EU candidate country for decades.
The island has been divided since 1974, when a brief Greek-backed coup prompted a Turkish invasion. Cyprus remains split between the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot south and the Turkish Cypriot north, which is recognised only by Ankara.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday that a two-state arrangement was the most realistic way to resolve the Cyprus issue—a position firmly rejected by Greek Cypriots.
“If Mr. Erdoğan insists on two states in Cyprus, then Turkey certainly cannot come closer to the European Union,” Christodoulides said.
He added: “What matters is that the European Union and the international community determine the solution on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions, regardless of what Mr. Erdoğan says.”
