ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Ministry has reacted against the remarks of the EU Commission's Strategy Document and Progress Report about the Greek Cypriot Administration's joining to the EU.
The ministry released a statement on Thursday saying that the EU Commission proposed to the EU Council to complete accession talks with the Greek Cypriot Administration by the end of this year and sign and accession document in the 2003 spring.
The ministry enumerated the following points for EU member countries and the international public opinion:
1. Turkey brought it to the attention of EU countries and the UN many times that the EU membership process of the Greek Cypriot Administration was illegal and it was a violation of 1959-1960 agreements.
-Under 1959 Zurich and London agreements, Cyprus cannot join organizations or alliances where Turkey and Greece are not members together.
-Secondly, 1960 Guarantee Agreement states that Cyprus cannot partially or fully enter an economic union with any country.
2. Turkey, in the frame of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's mission, has always supported bringing a fair and permanent solution to the Cyprus conflict. This is also valid for for the direct talks which were started by the initiative of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas. Denktas had made a number of constructive proposals to make progress on April 29, 2002 and Sept. 11, 2002.
The UN secretary general had meetings with both leaders on Oct. 3-4, 2002 in New york and decided to form two committees. The UN General Secretariat proposed the target of the direct talks should be to form a new partnership based on political equality and equal status. The secretariat proposed to the agreement that will be reached at the end of the talks should be presented to the approval of both sides with a referandum.
3. Under these circumstances, the Greek Cypriot side has continued its application to the EU since 1990 and this was a main factor that blocked an agreement in Cyprus. The Greek Cypriot side did not propose a solution to the conflict because of its expectation to join the EU as a full member.
4. EU Commission documents, when it decided about the Greek Cypriot Administration's EU membership at the EU Helsinki Summit in 1999, had stated that ''all related factors'' would be taken into consideration and this is a conflict. We cannot accept the EU Commission's attitute that ignores the TRNC's existence and the equality principle which constitutes the basis of the Cyprus conflict.
If the EU Commission implements its decision regarding Cyprus before reaching an agreement between the two sides in Cyprus, this would have the following consequences:
-The political and strategical balance that was formed between the two sides on the island, as well as between Turkey and Greece by 1959-60 agreements would be destroyed.
-The long time goal of the Greek Cypriot Administration to annex with Greece will be realized through the EU where Turkey and the TRNC don't take place
-The direct talks between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides on the island which are supported by the Turkish side and UN General Secretariat would enter a risky period.
5. The EU doesn't have the right to take single sided decisions and violate international agreements and take decisions that concern the future of the island of Cyprus.
Turkey expects the EU Council not to make a historic mistake because of the above mentioned reasons and adopt a constructive approach that would help the two sides to reach an agreement on the island.