CUMHURIYET- Columnist and constitutional scholar Mumtaz Soysal writes on EU-Turkish relations regarding Cyprus. A summary of his column is as follows:
Last week’s developments have brought a new clarity to the Cyprus dimension of Turkish-EU relations which was not recognized due to groundless expectations. This clarity emergede as a consequence in search of a solution. The basic factor which was influential and still continues to be so, is not accepting the facts of the island. Far beyond the discussions of legality and recognition, the reality experienced is that there are two separate states existing on the south and north of Cyprus. Whatever others may believe the state on the north may be, whether it is the result of a military operation, is ‘under occupation,’ or is kept alive due to Turkey’s protection, it is uundeniably there. Whatever we may think about the state in the south, whether it was formed by excluding Turks from partnership, a product of Hellenistic imperialism, or a deception of the whole world, it still exists. The fact that one of them is recognized only by Turkey and the other by all the world except Turkey does not alter this fact. On the other hand, it is clear that a solution can only be achieved with a new partnership they will jointly form. In this state of affairs, it is expected that the European Union, which is searching for a solution, should set aside all the matters of legality and recognition and treat both of them as states, and cease recognizing the state in the south as the only state on the island in spite of the facts, and should not admit it as a full member to the organization. But the stance taken is contrary to this view and the South, with the full support of the EU and the confidence it has due to the promise of EU full membership, isn’t moving toward a just partnership. It is a well-known fact that the embargo implemented on the North is sustained not by the South, but by other states which are afraid of its crying foul. That is why an exclusion of the South in the fields of transport, communications, trade and sports is going on. This is one of the reasons why a solution cannot be reached on the island. No one can expect that it is a fair contribution to a solution to say to a society suffering under an embargo, ‘Either you accept the solution the South wants or your exclusion from the outer world will continue.’ However, the European Union, which says it is in favor of a solution on the island isn’t lifting a finger on the issue and hasn’t budged from its stance excluding the North. In such a situation it is hard to stay put without asking these questions. Does the EU want a fair solution to the problem on the island or to sever Turkey’s ties with Cyprus? More importantly, does it intend to close the doors of the EU to Turkey by accusing it of not aiding the search for a solution?
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION