Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Omer Celik, has accused the EU of complicating the Cyprus problem by unilaterally granting south Cyprus full membership.
“Before solving your border disputes and before solving the problems that exist with north Cyprus, you accepted south Cyprus as a full member of the Union and in fact you made this problem [the Cyprus problem] more complicated. You keep constantly referring to Turkey and north Cyprus but in fact, you should do the same to south Cyprus and Greece. The approach ‘we are an EU member country and north Cyprus should join the Union with us’ does not exist and will never be accepted. This could happen only on the basis of the parameter of the two founding states”, Celik said.
On the Cyprus problem, Celik added also the following: “The Cyprus problem is a national cause for us. From the period of the Annan plan until today we have exhibited a political will on this national cause. The decision for the celebration of the Enosis plebiscite is contrary to the spirit of the solution and also is against the entire effort of the Cyprus negotiations. This should be rescinded the soonest possible”, the minister said.
Haberal Kibrisli