MosJan Posted November 13, 2001 Report Share Posted November 13, 2001 CYPRUS MAIN OBSTACLE FOR TURKEY TO JOIN EULast week when Turkish president Ahmet Sezer was meeting with presidents of Tajikistan and Georgia, foreign minister Ismail Cem traveled to Athens. Unlike Sezer, who was discussing the future state of Afghanistan in Tajikistan and searching ways for Turkish political support to Georgia’s president Shevardnadze in Tbilisi, Cem was making vain efforts to overcome contradictions, existing in regulation of the Cyprus problem. The problem of Cyprus remains the major obstacle in the way of improvement of Turkish-Greek relations. The European Union has dropped a precondition for Turkey to recognize the Armenian genocide to join the European union, but instead is placing bigger pressure on Turkey to regulate the Cyprus problem. Moreover, Turkey has been withdrawn from the list of countries, seeking membership in the EU, but Cyprus remains in it and is very likely to see more progress in its advancement towards EU membership. Greece makes Turkey’s accession to EU contingent on the just solution of the problem in line with the territorial integrity of Cyprus. Turkey insists on two Cypruses and says that the Greek Cyprus must become EU member along with the other part, now under the occupation of the Turkish troops. European countries are siding with Greece in this issue. It is hard to say now whether the joining of the Cyprus republic with the EU will lead to restoration of its territorial integrity. Ismail Cem was quoted as saying during the visit to Athens that the realistic solution to the conflict was creation of a confederate state.” The Europarliament is expected to issue today in Brussels its report on Turkey’s progress towards its accession to EU. © Copyright AZG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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