IT WOULD be “inconceivable” for Turkey not to recognise an EU member state at the same time as it is negotiating to become a member of the bloc, Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said yesterday.
He was responding to statements by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw that Ankara’s recognition of Cyprus would be resolved in the context of Turkey’s full membership of the EU.
Chrysostomides also dismissed as untrue Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s statement that Turkey’s customs union with the 10 new EU member states was already functioning.
He reiterated that the Greek Cypriot side pursued the normalisation of relations with all states that wished to join the EU, including Turkey.
But, he added, “I think it is inconceivable for Turkey not to recognise a state that is a full member of the EU. I am sure that everyone realises that Turkey’s negotiations with the EU will be carried out at an intergovernmental level, and Cyprus as a full, independent and sovereign member state will participate in the negotiations with Turkey,” Chrysostomides said.
Commenting on Gul’s statement that the customs union with the 10 new member states was already functioning, Chrysostomides said this was not the case, as ships registered under the Cyprus flag were not yet allowed to dock into Turkish ports, and Cypriot aircraft were not allowed to use Turkish airspace. He said the issue would be raised automatically at an intergovernmental level.
Asked if the government was concerned by the fact that Britain would take over the EU presidency during that the second half of 2005, when Turkey’s accession negotiations were set to start, Chrysostomide said this issue would be discussed in the framework of the EU Council.
“I don’t think that we should see the issue of recognition on the basis of some statements,” he said, reiterating that Cyprus’ participation in the Intergovernmental Conference and in the EU was on the basis of a full, sovereign and independent EU state.
He added that the government expected that Britain’s Presidency would be balanced, just as previous EU presidencies had been.
Asked to comment on a statement by Straw that all those who were planning to buy properties in the north must seek independent legal advice, the spokesman expressed the hope that the British Foreign Secretary was “implying that the purchase of properties belonging to Greek Cypriot refugees is illegal”.
Straw made his comments after a meeting in London with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gil on Monday.
After the meeting, Gul said Turkey would sign the protocol extending its customs union to the new EU member states, but added that in the case of Cyprus this would not mean recognition of the Republic of Cyprus.
“The protocol will be signed. We declared it, we negotiated it, we do not see any problem there,” Gul said.
He said that, according to the constitution, the protocol would be signed, not initialled and added: “in any case it is not going to be recognition, we declared it.”
Straw said: “We recognise the good faith of Turkey on this issue.”
“There are certain issues which have arisen inside the European Commission and are the cause of the current delay. The Foreign Ministers have given cast iron guarantees that the minute the document is ready for signing it will be signed,” Straw said.
