EU: Cyprus text should not harm Turkey entry talks

A TURKISH declaration refusing to recognise Cyprus’ Nicosia government should not block the launch of European Union membership talks with Ankara, the European Commission said yesterday after an initial assessment.

Turkey issued the declaration last Friday when it signed a protocol extending its customs union with the EU to the bloc’s 10 newcomers, including Cyprus.

The statement made clear that Ankara does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus, which the EU sees as the only legitimate authority, as representing the whole island, pending a settlement.

The Commission said the declaration did not question Turkey’s commitment to implementing the customs union protocol, which was an essential condition for starting entry talks.

“Our preliminary assessment is that the declaration does not call into question Turkey’s commitment to implement the protocol,” EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in a statement.

“The signature therefore should clear the way for the opening of accession negotiations with Turkey on October 3.”

Rehn added that the EU would still examine the declaration for legal implications. A Commission spokesman said a full legal analysis should be completed next week.

Cyprus has expressed disappointment at the Turkish document, saying the EU should study it to see whether it undermines the validity of the customs union.

The EU must still unanimously approve a negotiating mandate for the talks before October 3, giving Nicosia a potential veto.

Several members apart from Cyprus are already wary about starting talks with Turkey, a large, populous, mainly Muslim and relatively poor country, which is not expected to join the bloc for at least a decade.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.