Nicosia: On Monday, Greece and Cyprus welcomed Turkish efforts to improve ties with the EU, but they emphasised that any rapprochement should be gradual and not unconditional. On July 20, EU foreign ministers said they were prepared to re-engage with Turkey, but they refrained from explicitly resuming membership negotiations with Ankara.
Turkiye has sought EU membership for more than 20 years, but negotiations came to a halt in 2016 due to the bloc's worries about the country's respect for the rule of law and human rights.
Another obstacle has been the division of Cyprus's population between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, which has caused conflict between Greece and Turkey.
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Both the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, stated that they welcomed Turkey's re-engagement with the EU but that it needed to be "gradual" and, if necessary, "reversible."
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We ought to follow those two words. After meeting Christodoulides in Nicosia, the capital of the ethnically divided island of Cyprus, Mitsotakis told reporters that while they could be optimistic, they were not naive.
The two terms have been incorporated into European terminology regarding Turkey for a number of years, partially reflecting the country's protracted and tumultuous journey in seeking to join the bloc.
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Launching a constructive agenda with Turkey, according to Christodoulides, also implied "positive moves" on Ankara's part regarding Cyprus.
It's crucial that all of our EU partners share the same perspective, according to Christodoulides.