By Martin Banks - 29th October 2009
Non-compliance with the accession criteria will have consequences for Turkey
Markos Kyprianou
Cypriot foreign minister Markos Kyprianou says the divided island of Cyprus could be reunified "within a year."
Speaking in Brussels, he said, "It is feasible. Anything is possible."
But he warned that for reunification to happen "everyone must be constructive" in resolving outstanding issues such as property, security and power-sharing.
This was taken as a direct reference to Turkey, which aspires to join the EU.
Kyprianou, a former EU health commissioner, said Ankara's refusal to extend its Customs Union with the EU to the Republic of Cyprus, which it is obliged to do under the 2005 Ankara protocol, represents a "major" obstacle to Cypriot reunification.
At an EU summit in 2006, EU leaders gave Turkey three years to comply with the protocol which obliges Ankara to open its ports to Cypriot vessels but, until now, Ankara has refused to do so.
In December, the EU is due to publish its latest update on progress made by Turkey in meeting the accession criteria and Kyprianou said that Turkish failure to comply with the Ankara protocol would "carry consequences."
Addressing a European Policy Centre breakfast policy briefing, he said, "December is a very important deadline for the whole Cyprus problem. It offers a unique window of opportunity for Turkey to show its commitment to both EU accession and reunifying the island. But there are also clouds on the horizon.
"Non-compliance with the accession criteria will have consequences for Turkey.
"I am not talking about blocking or stopping Turkish accession but there will be repercussions."
Since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the northern third of the island has been occupied by Turkish troops and Kyprianou, a commissioner for four years until 2008, made a withering attack on Ankara, saying it had "undermined" the reunification process.
He said, "I regret to say that Turkey has not been as constructive or helpful as I would have like in the current negotiations between the two communities in Cyprus.
"The answer to the Cyprus problem is a unified, federal system, not two separate states, yet we have heard nothing positive from Turkey on this.
"By not supporting such objectives, Turkey is undermining the whole process and promoting division on the island."
Kyprianou, who was a keynote speaker at a European Policy Centre debate on EU-Turkey relations, denied that Turkey was being treated unfairly over its EU accession hopes.
"On the contrary," he said, "Ankara, at the start of the process, was treated more favourably."
