ANGELA MERKEL HAS CRITICIZED TURKEY AND SHUT DOOR TO EU
news.am
Jan 12 2011
Armenia
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has criticized Turkey’s position on
a Cyprus settlement and promised to put a lot of restrictions in the
negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the EU.
“We see that you are taking many steps and we also see that the Turkish
side is not responding accordingly to these steps,” Merkel said after
talks with President of Cyprus Dimitris Christofias in Nicosia, the
divided capital, RIA Novosti reported quoting the press service of
the Cyprus Government .
Chancellor said that her government wants Turkey’s EU entry talks
to continue “irrespective of what the decision will be at the end,”
but warned they won’t conclude unless the country opens its ports to
Cypriot trade.
Merkel explained that they put a lot of restrictions in the accession
of the negotiations, while Turkey fails to implement the Ankara
protocol.
Cyprus de facto is divided between Greek Cypriots and Turkish
Cypriots, and to the north of the island is occupied by Turkish
troops. The international community recognizes the Republic of Cyprus,
whose government are Greek Cypriots, and does not recognize the
self-proclaimed republic in the north. The leaders of the Cypriot
communities are negotiating the reunification of the island, but
without significant progress. Turkey has formally supported the
process, but also supports Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu.
One of the conditions of Turkey’s accession to the EU is recognition of
the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey at the beginning of XX century.
From: A. Papazian