CYPRUS does not expect Turkey to comply with its EU obligations to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic by mid-December, the government said yesterday.
Both Foreign Minster George Lillikas and government spokesman Christodoulos Pashiardis said it was very unlikely Ankara would changes its stance on Cyprus in the near future.
On Wednesday the European Commission gave Turkey until the December 14-15 summit to open its ports and airports to Cyprus or face consequences for its EU membership talks. “Failure to implement its obligations in full will affect the overall progress in the negotiations,” the Commission report said.
He said he did not share the EU’s optimism that Turkey would take any steps in the right direction.
Lillikas said that if the EU did not send Ankara a clear message, then the bloc’s credibility might be at stake, and it would not be able to keep Turkey on the right track to meet its EU obligations.
“We want Turkey to become a member of the European family, but we do not want Turkey as it is today joining the Union. We want a reformed Turkey, in line with EU norms, with a democratic regime, respecting all human rights, the territorial integrity of all EU member states and international and European law,” Lillikas said.
Pashiardis said Nicosia did not expect any “pleasant surprises” from Turkey by mid-December.
”Ankara is the only obstacle to a normal and unhindered accession course and has now a time framework of a few weeks to prove in practice that it does meet its obligations,” he said.
He said Ankara’s continued statements of defiance over fulfilling its obligations, even after publication of the report, were a provocation.
“The government is not happy that Ankara has proved to be, through words and deed, inconsistent with its European obligations. This attitude is not cause for celebration. It is sad to see a candidate country behaving in this manner,” Pashiardis added.
Commenting on statements by the Turkish leadership that some quarters were gloating over the report, Pashiardis said: “We don’t know how other partners feel. But I want to assure the Turkish Prime Minister that the Republic of Cyprus does not rejoice in the critical contents of the Commission report.”
