BRUSSELS (CIHAN) - The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that the European Union may open accession talks with Turkey in March 2005 if the EU commission report on Turkey to be revealed in October turns out to be positive.
Erdogan, who is currently in Brussels to attend the EU leaders summit, yesterday held a press conference at which he made important statements on Turkey's EU membership process and reforms.
The Turkish Prime Minister said that Turkey should continue its efforts to meet any deficiencies in the EU Copenhagen criteria. Erdogan said that the Greek Orthodox Halki Theology school on Heybeli Ada should be reopened within this context.
The Halki Theology School on Heybeliada was closed in 1971, following a Constitutional Court decision to nationalize all private religious high schools.
The EU Commision is expected to issue a progress reports on Turkey in October. The report will be the basis for the EU leaders' decision on whether to open accession talks with Turkey or not. Recent signals from the EU have underlined that the actual implementation of the EU reforms will be crucial.
In the final joint declaration of the EU leaders Summit, Turkey will be asked to recognize the Greek Cypriot Administration, Erdogan said, adding that he in turn was seeking support for the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The Turkish Prime Minister said that he had spoken with the US President Bush seeking support for ending of sanctions against Turkish Cyprus. Erdogan stated that foreign ships would dock at Turkish Cypriot ports and that planes would land in Turkish Cyprus over the next few months.
Following the resounding rejection of the UN peace plan by Greek Cypriots at the April 24 referendum, the USA and the EU have begun to ease economic sanctions against Turkish Cypriots as a reward for their having voted in favour of reunification.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's Cyprus report presented to the UN Security Council had called for an end to the international isolation of Turkish Cyprus.
Regarding the rise in terrorist activities in Turkey in recent weeks, Erdogan vowed not to give in to terrorism. He said that terrorist activities were always present. "There has been no rise or fall in this respect."