00:00The European Union said it is ready to play a substantive role in an effort to resume talks on the
00:07Cyprus issue.
00:08Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides welcomed Raffaele Fito in Nicosia,
00:13marking the first visit by the Executive Vice President of the European Commission since his appointment as Special Representative for
00:21Cyprus.
00:21According to the Cypriot government, they discussed the next steps as well as the European officials' upcoming meetings with the
00:29parties involved.
00:30Following the meeting, Raffaele Fito explained how he views his new mission.
00:35The European Union wants to give a very clear message.
00:38We want to work, to participate with a very important role in the process.
00:46We want to follow clearly the EU-Turkey process because it is very important for us to give our very
00:59important and positive contribution this way.
01:02The Cypriot government says it seeks to leverage EU-Turkey relations to advance the process.
01:08Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos described the meeting as useful and constructive.
01:13He noted that Nicosia is considering ideas and proposals for the next steps,
01:18but emphasized that Turkey's final stance remains decisive.
01:37Fito's visit, which also included a scheduled meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Eruhrman,
01:43took place a few days after Antonio Guterres' meeting in Cyprus.
01:47The UN Secretary-General said he hopes to convene fresh talks between the two sides,
01:52provided that progress is made with confidence-building measures
01:56and the methodology and substance of any talks that may take place.
Comments