HELSINKI, Oct 11 (AFP) - Turkey should not be treated differently than other candidate countries in its membership negotiations with the European Union, Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos said during a visit here on Monday.
"Cyprus is not against Turkey joining the European Union. To the contrary we think Turkey should comply fully with ... and respect the principles of the European Union, such as human rights and resistance to military interventions," Papadopoulos told reporters following a meeting with Finnish President Tarja Halonen.
"Nobody, not even Turkey, can make its own special rules for joining the European Union. The application will be examined the same way and just as objectively as (for) every other candidate state," he stressed.
The island state has been divided since 1974 when Turkey occupied the northern third of the country in response to a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at uniting Cyprus with Greece.
A Cypriot reunification plan that was subjected to a referendum on both sides of the island last April was scuppered by a resounding "no" from Greek Cypriots. This failure resulted in only the Greek side of the island joining the EU when the Union expanded in May.
As an EU member Cyprus could theoretically use its power of veto to wreck Ankara's ambitions to become a member of the bloc.
Following a positive assessment by the European Commission last week, the 25 EU states will convene on December 17 to decide whether to invite Turkey to start membership negotiations.
Papadopoulos was on a two-day visit to Finland, where held talks with Halonen on Monday and was due to meet with Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen on Tuesday before traveling on to neighboring Estonia.