The Cyprus issue and Greek-Turkish relations are among the issues on which Berlin wishes to see “positive development” in the near future, government spokesman Steffen Hempstrait said in response to a related question.

“The Cyprus issue is a question. Last week, the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis, was here, and this was one of the topics discussed. Of course, there are many bilateral issues between Greece and Turkey that we are trying to constructively move forward,” Mr. Hempstrait said, referring to a phone call between Chancellor Soltz and re-elected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, adding:

“Turkey is an important regional power that has influence in the various conflicts that exist in the region, and using this influence in a positive and constructive way is what we really want to encourage Turkey to do. In this context, there are a number of issues that, in a short telephone conversation like the one on Monday – President Erdogan had to answer a number of congratulatory calls – were simply outlined without going into depth.

Source: RES-IPE