Christodoulides: Turkey’s Cyprob stance will remain similar regardless of election results

President Nikos Christodoulides said on Saturday that he is not expecting substantial change on Turkey’s approach to the Cyprus problem in case the opposition leader wins the coming presidential elections.

The results of the elections in Turkey are expected to see how the elected candidate will position himself, especially on the prospect of strengthening EU-Turkey relations, Chirstodoulides told reporters before he attended the patients’ association Osak scientific conference in Nicosia.

“The time limit that was set [for developments] during our discussions was the election process in Turkey. So we can expect to see what the results will be and we will see the next steps,” the president said.

Christodoulides has already made contacts with the European Commission but also with some member states, such as France, while a visit to Germany is also expected.

Asked whether he believes that Turkey’s attitude towards Cyprus may change in case of the election of the opposition leader in Turkey, President Christodoulides initially said “we should not speculate, we should wait to see the results of who the new leader of Turkey will be, how he will position himself and especially on the prospect of strengthening EU-Turkey relations.

“I am following very closely the statements made by both Mr Erdogan and the opposition leader, but we have to move on the basis of real facts.”

As far as Turkey’s general approach to the Cyprus problem is concerned, “I do not expect a substantial change in case the opposition leader wins,” the president said.

He noted that most important is the prospect of strengthening the EU’s relations with Turkey, “because that is what we believe can unlock the prospect of resuming the talks”.