The European Council has released its Statement of Conclusions on Turkey as EU leaders prepare to finish up the second day of deliberations in Brussels.
In its statement, although the European Council welcomed the de-escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean, it rejected the Turkish proposition of a two-state solution and remains committed to the comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.
It underlined the importance of the status of Varosha and called for full respect of UN Security Council Resolutions, in particular Resolutions 550, 789 and 1251.
The Council expressed its regret that the informal meeting in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations did not pave the way for the resumption of formal negotiations.
Human rights and the rule of law were also items of key concern to the Council with particular reference to the “targeting of political parties, human rights defenders and media” which represents “major setbacks for human rights and runs counter to Turkey’s obligations to respect democracy, the rule of law and women’s rights. Dialogue on such issues remains an integral part of the EU-Turkey relationship.”
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