Turkish Cypriot daily Gunes (22.07.11) reports that the European Commission’s Director General for Enlargement Stefano Sannino, who is currently in Bursa of Turkey, said that all their efforts should be focused on the Cyprus settlement by the end of this year or at the beginning of next year.

Asked to comment on Erdogan’s statement that the ties between Turkey and EU will freeze in case Cyprus takes over the rotating EU presidency, Sannino said: “Particularly, we are all determined to find a comprehensive solution in the Cyprus problem. I want to state this. In the beginning of this month, the two leaders participated in an important meeting. A new meeting in October under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General is planned. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has also expressed openly his strong support to this negotiation process. Now, we all should deal with this problem with spirit and more constructive approach. We should not lose this momentum and we should find a comprehensive solution for the Cyprus problem.”

Asked to comment on which road the European Commission will follow after Erdogan’s clear message, Sannino said: “This is what I wanted also to state. Our aim, our hope is not to reach at this point. We should focus all our energy to the solution of this problem by the end of this year or in the beginning of next year.”