EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has hit back at the Turkish Foreign Minister’s claim that the deadline set for implementation of the Ankara Agreement is tantamount to blackmail, calling it “rather outdated talk”.
Rehn warned Turkey that the EU was prepared to take action if the protocol was not implemented in the next couple of weeks. “If Turkey does not fulfill its obligations, the Commission will make the relevant recommendations ahead of the General Affairs Council in December,” the Commissioner explained.
The Ankara Agreement requires Turkey to open its ports and airports to the Republic of Cyprus by December 6. Fulfillment of the agreement is a fundamental prerequisite to Turkey’s EU accession course.
Rehn said Turkey was expected to stick to the terms of the agreement, allowing free movements of goods, and remove the restrictions of transport.
Speaking before the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee, Rehn warned that the agreement is “the last opportunity to make serious progress for some years to come.”
In attempting to avoid a ‘train crash’ at next month’s summit, the Finnish EU Presidency have proposed a ‘formula’ to make the terms of the Ankara Agreement more palatable. Rehn applauded the Finns their substantial diplomatic efforts, explaining that the Finnish formula has created a win-win situation for all parties concerned.
Rehn said that the European Council, to be held in December, should call for a resumption of settlement talks with the backing of the UN, adding that it was in the European Union’s interest to see a reunification of Cyprus as soon as possible. “Such divisions are unacceptable within the EU, which is founded on the principles of peace, reconciliation and human rights. Recalling these fundamentals is all the more justified as we approach the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.”
The Annan plan is to date, the closest that Cyprus has got to reunification, but the proposal was rejected by Greek Cypriots in the 2004 referendum.
Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met last July in the presence of UN Under-Secretary-general, Ibrahim Gambari. The aim was to begin a process of bi-communal discussions on day-to-day issues, as well as working towards a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.
“The stepwise approach proposed by Gambari is a good basis for both communities in Cyprus to re-engage in serious work leading to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, so urgently needed,” concluded Rehn.
