Cyprus-Forum.com

[paliometoxo]

ANKARA MUST MEET CYPRUS OBLIGATIONS BEFORE EU ACCESSION

By Annie Charalambous

Turkey must smooth out relations with Cyprus before joining the European Union, the speaker of Slovakia’s parliament, Pavol Paska has warned.

“I cannot even consider how Turkey could join the European Union without first solving the issue with Cyprus,” he told The Cyprus Weekly in an interview in Nicosia.

“We believe strongly, we have it as a prerequisite that Turkey smoothes out relations with Cyprus before entering the EU. You are aware that each member state has a right of veto in the decision to allow a new member,” he added.

He gave as an example Austria’s demand that Slovakia shuts down two nuclear power plants before allowing them to join, something that Bratislava did. “Slovenia blocks Croatia’s accession because of a small plot of land in its coastal area,” he added.

Asked whether Turkey should withdraw all its troops from Cyprus before being granted entry, he said: “I don’t doubt that the presence of the Turkish troops is quite distinct and that it’s a serious problem”.

“Slovakia supports a solution approved by both sides. This solution should be a viable one, it should not be the outcome of decisions taken behind green desks” – a term used in Slovakia to denote talks at political level.

Paska paid a three-day official visit to Cyprus earlier this week and also met President Demetris Christofias, House President Marios Garoyian and Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou.

He said he had reassured all that Slovakia – which also maintains a contingent in UNFICYP – had played and will continue to play an important role in the island’s reunification efforts.

He also underlined that the solution should be within the parameters of UN resolutions and EU principles.

But he was critical of the EU, saying that it should have been stronger and more powerful.

“Personally, I would have liked the EU to be a great power, with a strong security policy etc. It’s not powerful right now, we have to wait for all countries to ratify the Lisbon Treaty. We have to have a much stronger Union, it is powerless in some cases, like in Cyprus and in Kosovo,” he added.

This prompted a question whether the Christofias government should reconsider their refusal to apply for membership to the NATO-affiliated European Partnership for Peace despite calls to the contrary by the vast majority in Cyprus.

“We are already members of NATO and PfP, but I’m not the advisor of people here. It’s an individual choice,” Paska said.

“Certainly, people today need different organisations sustaining stability and peace, but it’s an individual choice,” he added.

[bigOz]

That will be an excuse for them not to join the EU at all, because Turkey has lost interest in joining the EU. With the current economic climate where recession has hit EU countries a lot more than Turkey, EU is fast approaching its ''sell by'' date!

[CBBB]

That will be an excuse for them not to join the EU at all, because Turkey has lost interest in joining the EU. With the current economic climate where recession has hit EU countries a lot more than Turkey, EU is fast approaching its ''sell by'' date!

Is that a flying pig in your avatar?

[bigOz]

That will be an excuse for them not to join the EU at all, because Turkey has lost interest in joining the EU. With the current economic climate where recession has hit EU countries a lot more than Turkey, EU is fast approaching its ''sell by'' date!

Is that a flying pig in your avatar?

My my... Is tha a nice big c*** you are sucking on in your avatar?

[paliometoxo]

is that why turkey tries to blackmail and pressure eu to let them in??? really does show they have LOST intrest.... by their actions and then telling eu to forget cyprus and they are a "greater nation" sure does look like ot me that they dont care anymore

[Oracle]

... But he was critical of the EU, saying that it should have been stronger and more powerful.

They have correctly identified the weakness, and I am sure the EU is making strengthening its resources, a priority now. It's moved on from the peasant days of merely representing farmers, and is now on course to be the next Superpower; so it must strengthen itself appropriately, and effectively see off those such as Turkey, who serve to steal from its members.