‘Turkey has EU obligation to recognise Cyprus’

SPEAKING at Larnaca airport on his return from Italy after a two-day official visit yesterday, President Tassos Papadopoulos said that Turkey had an obligation towards the EU to recognise Cyprus.

He said the recognition of the Cyprus Republic was inevitable and it was just a matter of time.

Turkey is hoping to secure a date for accession talks at the EU summit on December 17, but still hasn’t extended recognition to Cyprus, which has issued veiled threats of a veto.

Asked whether Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi showed an understanding of the positions of the Greek Cypriot side, Papadopoulos said: “I think yes. Our job is to explain our positions in the best way we can, to show understanding to the positions of the other side and to reach consent, where this is possible.

“It is no secret that Italy supports the setting of a date for Turkey to begin accession negotiations with the EU, and our position is that we also support this if Turkey complies and respects its obligations vis-à-vis the European Union and each member state. From there on, there are contacts taking place, in an effort to present a consensus proposal so that Turkey will comply with these obligations,” he added.

Asked if Berlusconi was going to mediate with Ankara to change its stance towards Cyprus, the President said that “when such talks are taking place and when such action is scheduled or when we promote certain suggestions, the worst we can do is to reveal them and discuss them in public.

“The ascertainment that it was a warm meeting in a good atmosphere I think is enough,” he added, noting that, “we are satisfied with the spirit of the meeting and its results.”
Commenting on the issue of direct flights to the north, which are being promoted by the US and Britain, Papadopoulos said; “They favour it, but whether they will be able to go ahead and do it without violating international conventions and international law is another issue”.

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.