IT WOULD be an understatement to say that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s short visit to Cyprus was well-received. The comments she made to journalists about the Cyprus talks, after meeting President Christofias, had all politicians and newspapers celebrating about a new-found ally of the Greek Cypriot cause. One newspaper, commending Merkel’s ‘strict messages’ to Turkey urged the government to take all the necessary actions so that “Germany would become an important strategic partner”.
There has always been a tendency to read too much into statements by foreign politicians or diplomats, both when we approve and disapprove of what they say. Merkel, understandably, earned universal approval for her views as she praised Christofias for his positive stance in the Cyprus talks and openly censured the Turkish side for “not responding adequately” to his steps. She also made it clear that as long as Turkey did not implement the Ankara Protocol, none of the chapters in EU accession negotiations would close, while another eight would not be opened.
The angry reaction of the Turkish side came as confirmation that the Chancellor had supposedly become an ally of the Republic. Prime Minister Erdogan, while in Qatar, said that Merkel was ignorant about the Cyprus issue and should have consulted her predecessor before making her statements. The Turkish media were also incensed, arguing that Merkel arrived at her conclusions without hearing the Turkish view. In short, if the Turks disapproved of her stance, it had to be good for the Greek Cypriot side.
This is a rather simplistic approach, however welcome her comments were. Strategic alliances are not built on public statements nor would Brussels policy on the Cyprus talks change because of them. There would still be pressure on the two sides to reach an agreement in the first half of this year. In fact Merkel, also voiced full support for the peace procedure and said she would try to help the efforts by talking to Turkish officials, whenever she had the opportunity. After her Cyprus visit, she might not find them very receptive, but that is another matter.
We should not delude ourselves that Merkel’s comments had strengthened our position or opened up new opportunities, as some opinion formers have been claiming. While her comments were welcome, Christofias will still have to carry on negotiations with Dervis Eroglu and both will still have to be in Geneva at the end of the month to report on the progress they have made to the UN Secretary-General. Ultimately, it is he who will decide which side has been co-operative and constructive in the talks, not Merkel.
