Statements by AKEL MEP Giorgos Georgiou on EU-Turkey relations and the future of Europe

 

13 December 2023

AKEL MEP George Georgiou in statements he made stated that Europe has a long way to go to be at least consistent with some of its declared principles, namely ensuring peace and balance.

G.Georgiou also referred to prevailing inequalities, unemployment, and deficiencies in human rights, emphasizing that all these issues have been exacerbated in recent years. He said that the EU applies double standards and that “we can see that the Europeans with great ease imposed harsh sanctions against Russia as a self-inflicted shot, but now they are preparing to give a lot of things to Turkey, placing very lenient preconditions on its behavior, especially regarding the need to resolve the Cyprus problem”, commenting on the Borrell report.

Furthermore, G.Georgiou supported that Greek-Turkish relations are being exploited by certain forces across Europe to create a favorable climate so they can give Turkey various things.

“We feel at the same time that the President of the Republic’s efforts to use the mission of an envoy from here aren’t convincing the Europeans to proceed to make the next move,” he said, expressing concern that the Cyprus problem should not be frozen and sidelined in the midst of what is happening now.

“We expect from the President to make specific moves on the Cyprus problem, to emphasize and mean it that he is moving within the agreed framework of the solution, the Guterres Framework, respecting the convergences that have been agreed so far and the negotiating acquis [body of work], so that we do our maximum on our part, without having illusions that we are the only ones playing on the field. Turkey is also playing and it is Turkey that must demonstrate a will for the solution of the Cyprus problem”, the AKEL MEP pointed out.