Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides sent a message to Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Turkey’s road to the EU necessarily goes through the Cyprus issue, commenting on the Turkish President’s recent statements about EU membership being a “strategic priority.”

“If the Turkish President’s statements about the strategic goal of joining the EU are not just statements, then we are here to guide this process—one that requires concrete developments on the Cyprus issue within the framework of Turkey’s Cyprus-related obligations,” he said.

The statements were made in Larnaca, as he arrived at an event with young people, which he attended alongside the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, during her visit to Cyprus.

By “Cyprus-related obligations,” Nicosia consistently reminds that Turkey has outstanding issues with the Republic of Cyprus—from implementing the Ankara Protocol and opening ports and airports to Cypriot ships and aircraft, to respecting the Republic of Cyprus itself as an EU member state.

Ready for an expanded conference

Asked about developments on the Cyprus issue, Christodoulides reiterated that the Greek Cypriot side is fully prepared for the December 11 meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín.

“On Saturday I will meet Ms. Holguín, meetings between the negotiators are underway. And I am going into the December 11 meetings with a single goal: to create the conditions for the resumption of negotiations,” he said, sending the message that the ball will now be in the court of all involved parties.

He also recalled that he has already expressed readiness, before the end of the year, to participate in a broadened conference, which could lead to an official announcement on the resumption of substantive talks. For Nicosia, the framework remains resuming from the point where negotiations broke off in 2017 at Crans-Montana, based on the Security Council resolutions and the EU acquis.

Cypriot Presidency: A “national mission” with many challenges

Referring to Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2026, President Christodoulides again called it a “national mission,” for which, he said, Nicosia has been preparing for two years.

“Given international developments, as we see them unfolding daily, the Cypriot Presidency will be a period with many challenges for the European Union. We are fully ready to take on this role successfully—to strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy on the one hand, and on the other to bring the EU closer to the region,” he said.

Behind the scenes, Nicosia also sees the Cypriot Presidency as a lever to more systematically link the EU–Turkey discussion with the Cyprus issue. This is why Christodoulides has already announced his intention to invite the Turkish President and the Turkish Foreign Minister to European Council proceedings and to an Informal Foreign Affairs Council—on the condition that there will be actions, not just statements.