ATHENS – Although Turkey and the Turkish-Cypriots don’t want, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said the European Union should take part in trying to reunify the island split by unlawful Turkish invasions in 1974.

He made the suggestion at the European People’s Party leaders meeting in Athens where Conservatives from around the bloc mustered to plan strategy for 2023 and 2024 European Parliament elections.

His office reported that he briefed his colleagues about Turkey’s rigid stance, along with Turkish-Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in demanding recognition for the occupied northern third no other country in the world accepts.

That sets aside decades-long ambitions to reunify the island, the last round of talks falling apart in July, 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana when Tatar and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a 35,000-strong army would never leave and they wanted the right of further invasion.

Turkey is ignoring soft EU sanctions over drilling for oil and gas in Cypriot waters and Erdogan has sometimes mocked and dismissed any reservations from the EU’s leaders and doesn’t want them involved in the Cyprus dilemma.