Costa to visit Ankara in late October to meet Erdoğan

European Council President Antonio Costa is expected to travel to Ankara in late October to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and reports suggest the two will discuss linking EU-Turkey relations to the Cyprus problem. The Greek Cypriot newspaper Fileleftheros reported that Costa would carry a message to Erdoğan that progress in EU-Turkey relations depends on developments on Cyprus and the resumption of negotiations.

Christodoulides, who was in Brussels for a European Council meeting, said he had been briefed on the Costa-Erdoğan meeting. He said a top-level EU-Turkey meeting would take place in October to discuss efforts to restart negotiations and possible progress in EU-Turkey relations. He added that the meeting would be held at the request of the UN Secretary-General and himself.

Christodoulides said progress in EU-Turkey relations depends on restarting negotiations on an agreed framework. He added that a visit to Cyprus by the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy in late October could help create conditions for positive developments. He also described the appointment of Raffaele Fitto as EU special envoy as a move that clearly showed the EU's approach to the Cyprus problem.