Meeting in Kellaki
Mr. Schultz's statements were made after his meeting with the President of the Republic Dimitris Christofias, at his holiday home in Kellaki, Limassol, where various issues were discussed, with the predominant assumption of the EU Presidency by Cyprus.
As Martin Schultz said, "My meeting with the President was wonderful, based on our friendship that has developed over the last five years and I am proud to call myself a friend of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, a man I admire very much."
Asked to comment on yesterday's statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry regarding the second round of licensing for investigations in the Cyprus EEZ, Mr. Schultz said that before making any report he should discuss the issue with all those involved, while noting that he sees recently a change of climate on the part of Turkey, something that will put on his visit to Ankara and Istanbul scheduled for May 29th and 30th.
"One thing is for sure, threats are the opposite of what we need. "We need mutual respect and understanding, so threats never make sense."
Referring to the economic crisis, the President of the European Parliament said that the deep crisis in which the EU is is more of a money management crisis and that the currency remains stable, "but the internal situation in the eurozone is difficult and should be improved."
"Cyprus is a country that in recent years has taken a different path than that taken by many EU countries. In this country, social cohesion is still the highest priority, unlike other countries where the exact opposite is happening," he said. Schultz, adding that "we must return to the principles that Cyprus has always defended, which should be the principles of the EU Cyprus Presidency, ie social cohesion and social justice between countries and among EU members."
He also noted the importance of EU Maritime Policy, noting that "most shipping products by sea, so maritime policy can play a major role in economic development" and noted that with President Christofias they discussed exactly the role that the island can play a role in this during his presidency.
Asked whether he discussed yesterday with the President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias the issue concerning the proposal of the German Chancellor for a referendum in Greece on the eurozone, Mr. Schultz indicated that it would not be right to comment publicly on what is being discussed in a in the meeting itself. He said, however, that he discussed the situation in the country with the Greek President and said that during their meeting, Mr. Papoulias received a phone call from the German Chancellor, clarifying that he left the room and did not know the content of the Merkel conversation. - Poppies.
"At the meeting we talked about very serious issues. I met with all the leaders of the parliament and left Athens very worried. There is no reason for us to make public comments about what I discussed with President Papoulias. "We talked about the situation in Greece," he said.
For his part, President Christofias expressed his pleasure and satisfaction with the meeting with the President of the European Parliament, which took place "to review our progress towards the Presidency of the Council of the EU and the inevitable cooperation with the European Parliament and the coordination of our actions ".
"I am pleased that President Schultz is inspired by the same political line and philosophy in dealing with the enormous and very serious challenges facing the Union in the present, which, if you will, will determine its future, and I want to I thank him for his understanding ", he added.
The meeting, he continued, moved in general terms and its main topic was the Multiannual Financial Framework and other serious issues that the Cypriot Presidency will face.
At the same time, President Christofias expressed his gratitude for the help of Martin Schultz in the Cyprus case, noting that "he is a man with clear positions, who defends the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus and we work together with an open mind. I thank him warmly and I am sure that our cooperation will be close and daily and effective ".
Asked about the issue of the economy and whether this is the pre-eminent issue that will concern the Presidency of Cyprus in the EU, President Christofias said that "it is one of the pre-eminent issues, there are other issues that will concern us"
Afterwards, President Christofias hosted a dinner for Mr. Schultz, who is leaving Cyprus in the early afternoon.