Turkey: Accuses the EU of adopting the unrealistic and maximalist positions of Greece and Cyprus –

With a clear and specific reference to Greece and Cyprus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey blasts the comments of the Commission in the annual evaluation of the country, in the context of its candidacy for membership.

The Turkish side, after making it clear that it considers the evaluations included in the relevant report to be unfair, then moves on to an attack against the evaluations that directly links them to the policy of Greece and Cyprus in the open issues that exist between the two sides. As the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s response states: “The report incorporates unrealistic, illegal and maximalist views of Greece and the Greek Cypriot side.” Regarding the issue of Cyprus, the Erdogan government makes it clear that the EU has no say in the process of solving the problem as “it does not have the power or jurisdiction to decide on the borders of third countries”.

In more detail in the relevant announcement it is pointed out: “The report reflects the unrealistic, illegal and maximalist views of Greece and the Greek Cypriot side, while completely ignoring the legitimate concerns and justified policies of both Turkey and the (so-called) Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. We would like to underline that the scheme for the settlement of the Cyprus issue includes exclusively the two sides on the island, the three guarantor powers and the United Nations. Any future settlement must be reached through the agreement of the two sides on the island. The EU’s statements on the Cyprus issue, which unreservedly reflect the Greek Cypriot positions and do not take into account the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, do not contribute to the resolution efforts and demonstrate why the EU’s participation in a resolution process is not an appropriate option. We also remind you that the EU does not have the power or jurisdiction to decide on the borders of third countries.”

On the other hand, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs tries to present the attitude of the Erdogan government as constructive and states: “The report highlights that Turkey played a constructive role in the Eastern Mediterranean, improved its relations with Greece and strengthened trade cooperation with the EU. Given Turkey’s constructive approach, as noted in the report, we expect that the political obstacles to Turkey-EU relations imposed by the Council conclusions of 15 July 2019 will be removed.”

The announcement emphasizes that despite this, and despite the European recommendations on the harmonization of the Turkish economy and in other areas, Turkey continues to remain committed “to strengthen Turkey-EU relations in a constructive way that is clear and strong”. As he emphasizes: “We would like to reiterate that, as a candidate country, Turkey’s political will to strengthen Turkey-EU relations in a constructive way is clear and strong. The progress expected from Turkey in the EU accession process will be accelerated if the EU follows a constructive and strategic approach with concrete steps, in line with Turkey’s candidate country status. In this context, we also expect the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the joint communication drawn up by the European Commission and the High Representative, without further delays or additional conditions.”

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