THERE IS now a unique window of opportunity for settling the Cyprus issue, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said yesterday. The visiting politician added that Turkey’s failure to meet certain criteria will be taken into consideration during its EU assessment at the end of the year.
Bildt arrived on the island yesterday for a series of meetings and was speaking to the media after his meeting with Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou.
The Swedish FM, whose country will take over EU presidency in July, pointed out that a solution to the Cyprus problem would result in positive economic dynamics for both sides of Cyprus, as well as positive dynamics in the eastern Mediterranean, between the EU and NATO, and other international issues.
Kyprianou, meanwhile, underlined Turkey’s obligations towards the EU and explained that the Republic of Cyprus agreed with Turkey’s EU accession course, provided Turkey meets its obligations towards the EU, including those connected to a solution of the Cyprus problem.
He added that if by the end of the year Turkey had not met its obligations, there would inevitably be consequences, and noted that no one has raised the issue of postponing Turkey’s evaluation at the end of 2009.
Despite Bildt’s hectic schedule ahead of the EU presidency, he said it was important for him to come to Cyprus and he would be discussing a number of issues with Kyprianou. He explained, “A lot of the issues that we have spent time together on in the EU, the development of the external policy of the EU, we have some complicated internal issues coming up on the Treaty side, and then of course we have the entire situation in this part of the world.”
Bildt added, “We have now a unique window of opportunity for settling the Cyprus issue. Twenty years after the fall of the wall in Berlin, we still have a divided capital in Europe and that should not be acceptable to anyone.
“The effort now under way to overcome this is of profound importance for Cyprus, for the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean but has European and, as I would even say, global significance”.
The Swedish FM praised the efforts being put into the direct talks that commenced last September between President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.
“It is not easy but a solution is distinctly better long term than a non solution, because a solution brings positive dynamics while a non solution brings negative dynamics for Cyprus and the region,” he pointed out.
Referring to Turkey’s EU accession process, Bildt said this would be “very important for the EU, Turkey and the region, but of course any accession process depends on fulfilling the criteria of the EU.”
Asked if, during its EU presidency, Sweden would be undertaking an initiative to convince Turkey to open its ports and airports to Cyprus, Bildt said “the review of the Ankara Protocol is one of the things that are going to happen under the Swedish presidency and there is an obligation to do that. We will review the way in which these obligations are met towards the end of the year.”
He added that there were a number of complicated issues. “My hope would be of course that we will be in a different political situation both on that issue and on other issues by the end of the year. It is not really in my hands.”
Asked what would happen if Turkey refuses to meet the criteria, Bildt said he did not think one could see that issue “in separation from all the other issues,” adding that “we have a number of issues on the table, the Cyprus talks and others.”
Sooner or later it will become clear whether the negotiating process is moving in positive or negative direction, said Bildt. Either way, he added, “Things are not going to be the same”.
Bildt noted that “if you compare the situation now and the situation a couple of years ago, of course it is far more positive today than it was at that time, so we are expecting that positive developments will turn into truly positive dynamics on the island and in the region.”
Kyprianou said their meeting was “very useful” and that they would be continuing contacts in the framework of the EU and on a bilateral level, adding that he had the opportunity to reiterate Cyprus’ positions regarding the process for a settlement of the island’s political problem and Turkey’s EU accession course.
Regarding Turkey’s EU accession course, Kyprianou said “Turkey has responsibilities, the Republic of Cyprus agrees with Turkey’s European course and its right to join the EU, however without derogations, as long as it fully meets its obligations towards the EU and especially those concerning Cyprus,” noting that “this includes the solution of the Cyprus problem.”
