C 493/16
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
27.12.2022
Tuesday 7 June 2022
with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus; reaffirms the right of the Republic of Cyprus to enter into bilateral agreements on its EEZ and to explore and exploit its natural resources in full compliance with international law; notes with regret that the casus belli declared by the Turkish Grand National Assembly against Greece in 1995 has yet to be withdrawn; welcomes the continuation of exploratory talks between Greece and Turkey, which seek to address the delimitation of the continental shelf and the EEZ in line with international law; reiterates its call on the Turkish Government to sign and ratify the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which is part of the EU acquis; supports the invitation extended to Turkey by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to negotiate in good faith the maritime delimitation between their respective coast lines, or to have recourse to the International Court of Justice, and calls on Turkey to accept Cyprus’s invitation; welcomes the Turkish contribution to the security of gas supply through the connection of the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) with the completed Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP); reiterates its support for the European Council’s proposal for a multilateral conference on the Eastern Mediterranean and underscores that the Green Deal and the energy transition could provide important opportunities for achieving cooperative, sustainable and inclusive energy solutions in the Eastern Mediterranean; calls for the Eastern Mediterranean to be made a genuine catalyst in the external dimension of the Green Deal;
44.
Regrets the fact that the Cyprus problem remains unresolved and stresses that a solution in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and within the agreed framework will have a positive impact on Turkey’s relations with the EU; strongly reaffirms its view that the only sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is that of a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement, including of its external aspects, within the UN framework, on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with a single international legal personality, single sovereignty, single citizenship and political equality, as set out in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in accordance with international law and on the basis of respect for the principles on which the Union is founded; deplores the fact that the Turkish Government has abandoned the agreed basis of the solution and the UN framework to defend on its own a two-state solution in Cyprus; calls on Turkey to abandon this unacceptable proposal for a two-state solution; further calls on Turkey to withdraw its troops from Cyprus and refrain from any unilateral action which would entrench the permanent division of the island and to refrain from action altering the demographic balance; condemns the signing of the so-called Economic and Financial Protocol between Turkey and the non-government-controlled areas of Cyprus; condemns the fact that Turkey continues to violate UN Security Council resolutions 550(1984) and 789(1992), which call on Turkey to transfer the area of Varosha to its lawful inhabitants under the temporary administration of the UN, by supporting the opening of the town of Varosha to the public; takes the view that this move undermines mutual trust and hence the prospect of a resumption of direct talks on a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem; expresses in this regard serious concern over the recent, new illegal activities in the fenced off area of Varosha for the opening of a new part of the beach, as well as the recent signing of the aforementioned ‘Economic and Financial Protocol’ through which Turkey will be financing projects for the reconstruction of Varosha; calls on the Turkish Government to return to dialogue based on the UN format, which represents the only viable path towards reconciliation; urges that negotiations on the reunification of Cyprus be resumed under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General as soon as possible from where they left off at Crans-Montana in 2017; reiterates its call on Turkey to fulfil its obligation of full, non-discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Ankara Agreement towards all Member States, including the Republic of Cyprus; regrets the fact that Turkey has still not made progress towards normalising its relations with the Republic of Cyprus; underlines the fact that cooperation remains essential in areas such as justice and home affairs as well as aviation law and air traffic communications with all EU Member States, including the Republic of Cyprus;
45.
Calls on Turkey to give the Turkish Cypriot community the necessary space to act in accordance with its role as a legitimate community of the island, a right guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts to engage with the Turkish Cypriot community, recalling that its place is in the European Union; calls for all parties involved to demonstrate a more courageous approach in bringing the communities together; stresses the need for the EU acquis to be implemented across the entire island following the comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem and highlights, meanwhile, that the Republic of Cyprus is responsible for stepping up its efforts to facilitate the engagement of Turkish Cypriots with the EU; praises the important work of the bi-communal Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) and reiterates its appreciation for the fact that, following the worst phase of the pandemic, Turkey is gradually providing the CMP with access to the relevant sites once again, including military areas; calls on Turkey to enhance its efforts in providing crucial information from its military archives as well as access to witnesses in closed-off areas; calls on Turkey to cooperate with the relevant international organisations, especially the Council of Europe, in preventing and combating illicit trafficking and the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage;