STATEMENT BY THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ASSOC. PROF. TURGAY AVCI

The statement by the Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou Marcoullis concerning Turkey’s European Union process has confirmed yet again that the Greek Cypriot side perceives Turkey’s EU accession process as a tool to be used against the Turkish side. The threatening attitude of Mrs. Markulli has proven once again that the unilateral and unlawful membership of the Greek Cypriot side to the EU without reconciliation in Cyprus was a mistake and that its membership, contrary to the  assertions of the international community, would  act as  an obstacle rather than a catalyst in reaching an agreement in Cyprus.

The Turkish side has taken and will continue to take the necessary initiatives concerning the Greek Cypriot Administration’s negative stance as regards the unilateral signing of bi-lateral agreements for the delimitation of maritime areas in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as starting of the process to issue licenses for the exploration of oil and natural gas. However, the Greek Cypriot side, instead of taking our warnings into consideration, insists on its policy of provoking crisis. In the face of the Turkish side’s determination to protect its legitimate rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Greek Cypriot side, which continues to exploit the benefits of its EU membership, is threatening to veto Turkey’s EU accession negotiations.

Mrs. Marcoullis, whose sole function is to act as the mouthpiece of Papadopoulos, aspires to extract unilateral concessions from the Turkish side by threatening Turkey’s accession negotiation process. The Greek Cypriot leadership, through the adoption of such a policy, is aiming at poisoning the EU-Turkey relations.

The Direct Trade Regulation drafted by the European Commission with the aim of lifting the inhumane isolations imposed on the Turkish Cypriot side which continues to demonstrate its constructive attitude for reaching an agreement in Cyprus, has not been implemented yet due to the obstructions of the Greek Cypriot side. We would like to emphasize that as long as the Greek Cypriot side is allowed to continue to exploit its unjustly granted EU membership against the Turkish side, this does  not only render reaching of a settlement in Cyprus more difficult but deepens further the distrust between the two peoples irreversibly. We hope that the EU officials will not yield to such tactics by the Greek Cypriot side.

13 August 2007, Lefkoşa.