Speaking to journalists on Tuesday evening on the sidelines of a reception hosted by the Bulgarian Embassy to mark Bulgaria’s national anniversary, President Christofias stated that:

“I would like to express my satisfaction with the joint position of the ‘27’ regarding Turkey’s EU accession course."

He went on to add that: “The positions expressed are correct and satisfactory, but the issue is for Turkey to align itself with these positions.”

In the view of the Cypriot government, he continued, the European Union has called on Turkey to clearly commit to the establishment of good neighbourly relations and to the peaceful resolution of disputes, while expressing regret for the lack of progress in smoothing out Ankara’s relations with Cyprus, the non-implementation of the customs union Protocol and the hampering of Cyprus’ accession to international organisations.

These provisions are included in the text of the joint statement of the ‘27’, presented by the Slovenian Presidency of the EU to the Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan.

In his speech on the matter, delivered at an EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting on Tuesday, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Olli Rehn, stated that:

"We want to see Turkey move on by respecting European values. Turkey cannot afford another wasted year. We need to see progression, not regression, in meeting democratic principles and undertaking reforms."

"I trust Turkey will fully contribute to a solution. Reaching a comprehensive settlement (on the Cyprus issue) will have an immense value to all of us who want to see an end to this 40-year-old conflict on a European soil, and it will certainly have a positive effect on the negotiations with Turkey," he concluded.