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Exclusive- Ankara Opposes 3 Points in Cyprus Protocol - 17.02.2005


Upon examining the draft Cyprus protocol delivered by the Commission of the European Union, The Turkish Government is preparing to demand for amending three points. Ankara will say: ‘The draft protocol envisages the enlargement of the Customs Union for the new 10 member countries; yet, Turkey does not have such a protocol with 16 EU member states.’ and ask for an explanation as to the territory on which the Customs Union is going to be implemented, which is stated in the draft protocol. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will demand for changing “Turkey’s official language” in the Additional Protocol stated for the first time by the EU for “Turkish”.





Turkey is preparing to oppose the Cyprus protocol delivered by the EU to Ankara and demanded to be initialed by the end of February. Upon examining the draft Cyprus protocol delivered by the Commission of the European Union, The Turkish Government is preparing to demand for amending three points. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will convey that the draft protocol envisages the enlargement of the Customs Union for the new 10 member countries; yet, Turkey does not have such a protocol with 16 EU member states.’ and ask for an explanation as to the chapter of territory on which the Customs Union is going to be implemented, which is stated in the draft protocol. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will demand for changing “Turkey’s official language” in the Additional Protocol stated for the first time by the EU for “Turkish”.



The European Union has reminded Turkey once again that for the start of its accession talks on Oct. 3, Turkey ought to sign the document extending a 1963 Association Treaty to all new members of the EU, including the Greek Cypriot administration, which is a member of the block as the “Republic of Cyprus” .The Additional Protocol envisages the renewal the Ankara Agreement of 1963, constituting the basis of the relations between Turkey and EU, following the accession of the new member states.



European Commission envisages, with the recent draft of the Additional Protocol, that the 10 new members including Cyprus “shall be Parties to the Agreement establishing Association between EEC and Turkey, and shall respectively adopt and take note, in the same manner as the other 15 Members of the European Communities”. Yet, Ankara emphasizes that there is not such a protocol with Austria, Finland, Sweden, Greece, Spain and Portugal which are among the member states of the EU and these countries ought to be covered by additional protocol.



Turkish sources state that, in fact, there is no necessity of an additional protocol for the new countries to cover them under the Customs Union, since Customs Union is already in progress with six countries without signing the protocol. Turkey’s Customs Union with the EU is based on the Ankara Agreement of 1963. This agreement is a part of acquis communutaire, and each candidate country adopts the acquis communutaire of the EU while becoming a member of the EU. The fact that the EU insists on the Additional Protocol is seen as a means of pressure that Turkey takes a step towards recognizing the Greek Cypriot administration.



Another tension between Brussels and Ankara is that Turkey demands that her signing the Protocol would not mean the recognition of the “Republic of Cyprus”. Some EU diplomats argue that Turkey can not have a reservation on the additional protocol. The Greek Cypriots also oppose such a declaration by Turkey.



EU diplomats claim that Turkey can not have a reservation on the Additional Protocol due to the document initialed by the Minister of State Beşir Atalay in the Summit of 17 December. On the other hand, the Turkish side states ‘Turkey committed that she will negotiate the Additional Protocol and only after that sign it before the 3rd of October’ and we have the right to have a reservation in this document as in all international agreements.’

ABHaber.com/Ayhan Şimşek

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