Nicosia, Cyprus. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis on Thursday told Turkey to “look in the mirror” over stalled relations with the European Union, responding to remarks by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Cyprus response to Turkish remarks
Letymbiotis said Fidan referred to the EU while separating the Republic of Cyprus from it, adding, “Cyprus is Europe, Europe is Cyprus,” referencing last week’s informal European Council summit in Nicosia.
He said President Nikos Christodoulides has repeatedly stated that Cyprus wants progress in relations between Europe and Turkey, but added that such progress must pass through Turkey’s Cyprus-related obligations “towards an EU member state of which Turkey has illegally occupied the territory for 52 years”.
Letymbiotis said Cyprus has been working “with greater intensity” to raise its level of presence as an EU member state and as a state in the region, aiming to prove its usefulness and credibility.
He added that Turkey should reflect on its responsibilities and said that if Turkey wants to find the reasons for the lack of progress in relations with the EU, “it must look in the mirror”.
Fidan comments in Vienna and customs union issue
Fidan made his remarks a day earlier during a joint press conference with Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger in Vienna, where he called for upgrading the existing customs union agreement between the EU and Turkey.
Turkey has a customs union agreement with the EU but, as it is not a full EU member, it does not enjoy the full benefits of the union. When the EU signs a trade deal with a third country, imports to Turkey from that third country can no longer be tariffed, while that third country can continue to place tariffs on Turkish exports.
Fidan said there are “inherent rule-based dilemmas” within the EU, arguing that even if 26 of 27 countries representing 400 million people support something, “the preference of less than a million people” or a country with a population of less than a million can be sufficient to block it.
He said that, therefore, “Turkey and the European Union – 500 million people – can be held hostage by one country,” adding that “the current system makes this possible”.
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