20.MAY.09
The EU has urged Turkey to actively support the ongoing Cyprus negotiations and stop blocking the accession of EU member states in international organisations.
The EU position was outlined on Tuesday during the 47th meeting of the EC-Turkey Association Council.
Present at the Council were current President of the Council Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout, Enlargement Commissioner Oli Rehn, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
The EU also underlined the importance of progress in the normalisation of bilateral relations between Turkey and all EU member states, including the Republic of Cyprus.
It expressed its regret over the fact that Turkey has not yet implemented the Additional Protocol of the EU – Turkey Association Agreement.
Furthermore, the EU expects Turkey to actively support the ongoing negotiations aimed at a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement of the Cyprus problem and make concrete steps to help bring about a climate favourable to such a comprehensive settlement.
In statements at a press conference after the Council, the Swedish Foreign Minister, whose country will assume next semester the EU rotating presidency, said that “the negotiations in Cyprus are probably the most important issue in Europe today, more than the Irish referendum itself.".
“Today years after the fall of the Berlin wall it is a shame to have a divided capital in Europe. Now we have two leaders with a personal commitment to reach a solution and I believe it is our duty to do whatever possible to facilitate their common effort to overcome this division," Bildt said.
Insisting that the Cyprus negotiations are a procedure, which takes place under UN auspices, Bildt said, “it is our duty to do whatever possible to facilitate this very important procedure."
Bildt, Rehn and Kohout stressed during the press conference that Turkey’s accession to the EU and the opening of more chapters depends on Ankara’s progress regarding its EU course.
In his statements, the Turkish Foreign Minister said that his country would speed up the process of reforms.
The EU position on Turkey’s EU accession refers to Cyprus and the Cyprus problem and states that “as emphasised by the Negotiating Framework, the EU also expects Turkey to actively support the ongoing negotiations aimed at a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement of the Cyprus problem within the UN framework, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in line with the principles on which the Union is founded, including concrete steps to help bring about a climate favourable to such a comprehensive settlement”.
Moreover, the EU “underlines the importance of progress in the normalization of bilateral relations between Turkey and all EU member states, including the Republic of Cyprus. In this regard, the EU calls on Turkey to stop blocking the accession of member states to international organizations and mechanisms. Furthermore, the EU stresses again all the sovereign rights of EU member states which include, inter alia, entering into bilateral agreements, in accordance with the EU acquis and international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea”.
The EU, also “notes with regret that Turkey has not yet fulfilled its obligation of full non – discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Association Agreement and has not made progress towards normalization of its relations with the Republic of Cyprus. The EU will continue to closely follow and review progress made on the issues covered by the declaration of the European Community and its member states of 21 September 2005, in accordance with its conclusions of 11 December 2006. Progress is now urgently awaited”.
SOURCE: FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE
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Hopefully this news article will help the partitionist TCs see the hopelessness of their case.
It appears that very soon Turkey will abandon the TCs and the "trnc" and recognise the RoC very soon. Her EU path WILL depend on this and as I told VP in another thread, Turkey is in no position to withdraw from her EU aspirations because quite clearly there are much larger political and geo-strategic interests at stake here, such as ensuring that Turkey remains outside the realms of Islam.
It is quite interesting that Oli Rehn has issued Turkey some very severe warnings such as:
1. it must not block EU member states (RoC) from accession in international organisations,
2. it must normalise relations with other EU member states including the RoC (recognition), and
3. the EU also expects Turkey to actively support the ongoing negotiations aimed at a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement of the Cyprus problem within the UN framework, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in line with the principles on which the Union is founded.
It is also important to note that the EU has now formally stressed that Turkey must actively support the ongoing negotiations aimed at a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement, within the UN framework and in line with the principles on which the Union is founded.
This means that the EU will of course not tolerate ANY derogation from the EU Acquis thus ensuring political equality on an individual basis, human rights and freedom of movement.
It appears that the EU finally sees the severity of the current situation. The Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister said that, “the negotiations in Cyprus are probably the most important issue in Europe today, more than the Irish referendum itself."
Points 1 and 2 above, might also mean that the EU could be very keen in seeing Cyprus apply for membership into the Partnership for Peace (PfP) and I also wonder what role this may have to allay TC security fears as the PfP is just one short step from full blown NATO membership!!!!!!
