The camera flashes are going off as Recep Tayyip Erdoğan smiles and welcomes Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa to a dinner on the sidelines of the NATO Summit.

It was a meeting that Nicosia had been awaiting with great anxiety, as Brussels was expected to demand that Turkey back down from its positions on the Cyprus issue in exchange for European concessions.

However, the situation remained unclear regarding Erdogan’s intentions, with the two European officials assuring that, for their part, they had said what needed to be said.

“Turkey has been an important partner in addressing crises in the Middle East and in supporting efforts toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. We must also build on the renewed momentum to advance a settlement of the Cyprus issue through the process under the auspices of the United Nations.”
Ursula von der Leyen – President of the European Commission

The President of the Republic spoke with both Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa.Both European Union officials assured him that the necessary messages had been conveyed to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

However, no one was able to say with certainty whether Turkey would take a constructive approach in the talks.

“This, however, must be demonstrated in practice. The rhetorical stance must translate into a substantive intention, and this will be proven through the convening of an informal multilateral meeting.”
Konstantinos Letympiotis – Government Spokesperson

To be precise, the term “Cyprus issue” does not appear anywhere in the Turkish statements.

According to the Communications Directorate of the Turkish Presidency, Erdogan made it clear to the Europeans that he wants to reopen Turkey’s accession dossier for full membership.

“The President pointed out that Turkey has taken initiatives to contribute to Europe’s security. He wants to revitalize Turkey’s accession process and have the necessary meetings begin. He reminded them that Turkey has been a candidate for years.”
Turkish Presidency

Behind the Scenes of the Dinner

However, according to Alpha’s sources, the main discussions took place with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and not with Erdogan, who said he was exhausted from the grueling day and the summit’s proceedings.

The same sources report that at the beginning of the discussion, Fidan once again urged the Europeans to recognize that the Cyprus issue is one thing and Euro-Turkish relations are another, and that it is in their best interest to decouple the two issues.

However, the two European Union officials reminded Fidan that he himself had complained that whatever Turkey attempts is met with a veto the Republic of Cyprus and Greece, and therefore things must change regarding the Cyprus issue.

The Turks’ second move was to try to secure the European “gifts” first, and then commit to taking action.

“If Mr. Erdoğan, if Turkey, truly wants to see progress on the issues it emphasizes— the intensity and frequency with which they are raised, there must first be progress on the Cyprus issue.”
Konstantinos Letympiotis

On the same page

In any case, in essence, Ankara is signaling that it is not willing to change its stance on the Cyprus issue.

Tomorrow, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz will arrive again in the occupied territories.

He is coming to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for the construction of a natural gas pipeline from Turkey to the pseudo-state.

He will be accompanied by Turkey’s Minister of Energy and Erdoğan’s son-in-law, Alparslan Bayraktar, and Minister of Agriculture İbrahim Yurmaklı.

Watch Giorgos Georgiadis’s report: