Comments on: Is Turkish accession ambition sustainable?

By: bilgin ozkan

bilgin ozkan — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:08:38 +0000

I understand that this question encourage many to link Turkey’s accession bid to Cyprus problem.

In fact, Turkey’s accession and Cyprus question are two separate phenomena, and therefore need to be dealth with separately. The former is a relationship between a political union (EU) and a candidate country which would like to be part of this union. It is all about political preferenses of the Union and Turkey.

The latters is rather a problem between two communities sharing the same island. One should admit that it is easy to blame one country or another for the failure of islanders (both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots) to reach a sustainable solution on the island. But the solution lies in the very hands of these two communities not in those of others.

Bilateral problems should not impair the vision of the EU to bring peace and prosperity to the whole Europe and wider region. And of course, member states of the EU which are bitter against Turkey in one way or another, should not block the whole system in a way to realize their narrow interests.

Turkey puts a lot of efforts to fulfill the membership criteria, and waiting for the same to be done by the EU side. At the end of the day, it believes that the membership serves to the best interests of Turkish people and the EU.

Is it a viable process?

Yes, of course viable. Otherwise, neither side would have anchored in each other for so long.

Why is it not straight forward?

The answer is rather simple. EU deals with a large and powerful country. The 6th largest economy, the second largest population of Europe. It is a country whose membership may dramatically change the balance of powers in the EU system. In fact, it will.

Thanks,

By: Fanci

Fanci — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:30:34 +0000

I think that taking the one-sided view of Cypriots is not very helpfull.

First, Cyprus entered Europe in contradiction with several laws but mostly about the effective control of borders. To circumvent the problem, it has been then proclaimed that members of the turkish community on the island would be european citizens with no effective rights but to soften the bit would be allowed direct flights / shipping with Europe in exchange for the Ankara protocol.

Once Cyprus entered, Cypriots decided the Ankara protocol would become a one-way contract and this with the support of France, Germany and the likes. So to answer your question (Is that really a criteria for accession): No.

Once borders of Greek Cyprus are modified or UN plan for a Unified Cyprus are accepted things will go back to normal.

By: Dimitris

Dimitris — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:08:27 +0000

Turkey accesion doesn’t seem to lead anywhere among others because of Cyprus. Turkey wants to stay the guarantator to an EU country believe it or not, as if we leave in the colonial past. They say that there will a new plan proposed for the unification of Cyprus next year. But if Turkey is stated to play the guarantator again for Cyprus as in 2004 it will be disqualified of course by the Greek-Cypriots (not by the Turkish settlers).
For those who don’t know Turkey is the one who is still violating the trilateral agreement of London and Zurich with UK and Greece, by having Turkish army there and partitioning the island. Also they illegally set Turkish settlers there, to change the demographic data of the island. (Nice guarantator it was in the first place.)

The Turkish-Cypriot president has the same opinion as Turkey, so it is impossible if the Turkish position doesn’t change. Turkey wants to enter the EU while it has chronic disagreements with two EU countries Greece and Cyprus with no intention of solving them properly. Well Turkey will somewhere along the road to EU will have to find out that upholding the international law and good neightbourly relations are essential to EU. And then the choice is theirs. EU supports dialog doesn’t mean it will put up with Turkey’s nationalistic mindset otherwise it will fall apart.