President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides said that he expressed to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan his readiness for the resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus problem, which would help with progress in EU - Turkey relations, during an informal conversation on Thursday. Christodoulides, speaking on Friday morning upon his arrival to the meeting of the informal European Council in Budapest, also said that French President Emmanuel Macron briefed him on Thursday night on a meeting he had with Erdogan himself, during which he told the Turkish President that strengthening of EU - Turkey relations passes through the Cyprus problem.