The settlement of the Cyprus problem will take place exclusively on the basis of a European solution as it is required by the fact that Cyprus is a member of the EU, said President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

In an interview with the state-owned Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), Pavlopoulos repeated the position that the Cyprus issue is not a Greco-Turkish problem or a Greek Cypriot or a Turkish Cypriot problem but an international and at the same time European issue.

For this reason, he said, a solution should comply with the acquis communataire.

“That is why we are saying to Mr. (Tayip) Erdogan and Mr. (Mustafa) Akinci that there cannot be a solution for the Republic of Cyprus that is incompatible with the European acquis”.

A European solution, he said, means “a federal state, excluding confederation, secondly, a single sovereignty, which excludes occupation forces and guarantor powers and a single citizenship”.

This, he said, is the foundation on which the discussions have entered, adding that Turkish President Erdogan should realise that Cyprus is a European country and he cannot merely look to the East but also to the West.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have been engaged in UN-backed talks since May last year, with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.