BRUSSELS - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that European Union (EU) should take expected steps on Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Erdogan held a news conference in Brussels where he is paying a visit for the European Council and Intergovernmental Conference (IGC).
``We should first talk about steps that have been taken. TRNC people took a step in referendum. Turkey has put forth its attitude. Trade has been freed. TRNC did what was necessary for citizens coming from EU countries to cross to TRNC with their identity cards. Turkey`s attitude will also be positive from now on. I believe that TRNC will also continue to assume a positive attitude,`` Erdogan noted.
Erdogan said, ``EU also should do what is necessary on this issue. How long will this economic isolation last?``
He stated that Greek Cypriot side did not approve the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan`s plan on Cyprus and they said that Greek Cypriots were not in favor of unity in Cyprus. Erdogan stressed, ``Greek Cypriots rejected the Annan plan and became full member of the EU. There is a contradiction here.``
``There is not any step taken on TRNC currently. We see that expected steps on ending economic isolation in TRNC have not been taken. Those steps should be taken,`` he noted.
He stated that there were also some positive signals.
Erdogan said that TRNC Prime Minister was invited to meetings as ``prime minister``. He noted that the United States, Russia and EU invited TRNC Prime Minister as prime minister and those were important steps that have been taken. Erdogan said that he believed that those steps would continue.
Noting that Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) accepted TRNC an observer state with the name of ``Turkish Cypriot State``, Erdogan said that those were positive developments.
Erdogan said that there were mistakes in the expressions in the draft text of final statement of the EU summit regarding Turkey and added that Turkey was expecting a change in those expressions.
Erdogan said that the expression in the draft text was an evaluation away from the recent reform activities. He added that Turkey made the necessary warnings yesterday and it would be evaluated. He said that it was necessary to see the final text.
Regarding Turkey`s starting EU membership negotiations, Erdogan said that he wished and predicted that negotiations would start in March 2005 if the Commission`s report became positive. He added that Turkey wanted to begin negotiation process and the next process would be about removing deficiencies in implementation. He said that the more Turkey would become successful in that process, the shorter the period of being an EU member would become.
Upon a question regarding woman rights, Erdogan said that the recent reform package included woman rights in German law similarly and it was adopted at Parliament.
(EÖ-GC-AÖ) 18.06.2004