EU-Turkey rapprochement is unlikely to result in Cyprus' reunification, but increased dialogue over the future of the island could improve the political climate, leading to mutually beneficial economic opportunities. Cyprus is pushing the European Union to appoint a special envoy to restart talks with Turkey over the reunification of the island, a third of which a Turkish-backed government controls. Additionally, Cyprus wants to tie these conversations to recent negotiations about Turkey's eventual accession to the European Union. Meanwhile, the bloc's foreign policy office circulated a document on July 20 that called on member states to consider Turkey's EU membership chances alongside ways to "actively contribute to the speedy resumption of Cyprus settlement talks." Following the meeting, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell confirmed that EU foreign ministers expressed interest in developing a stronger relationship with Turkey, subject to certain conditions including a "sustainable de-escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean" and "solving...
