Turkey has excluded itself from SAFE, says President

Turkey has excluded itself from participating in the European SAFE programme, President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, said on Saturday.

He was replying to journalists questions upon his arrival at the Annual General Meeting of the Cyprus Building Contractors Association, in Nicosia.

He noted that the participation of any third country requires a security agreement with the EU and the consent of its 27 member states, including the Republic of Cyprus.

Asked to comment on yesterday’s statement by a European Commission spokesperson, according to which Turkey’s application for the SAFE programme does not seem to be moving forward, and whether he believes that this development is the result of pressure from Greece, Cyprus, and other partners, or simply a change in strategy on the part of Turkey, the President of the Republic said that “Turkey has excluded itself” from participating in the European Union’s SAFE financial instrument.

“The participation of any third country requires a security agreement between that third country and the European Union, a security agreement that requires the consent of the 27 member states of the European Union, including, of course, the Republic of Cyprus,” he added.