Bakoyiannis: Turkey Should honour the Ankara Agreement

Athens.- (CNA) – Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis reiterated on Friday that Turkeyʼs foremost obligation for its accession to the European Union is to honour and implement an additional protocol, expanding its Customs Union to the ten new EU member states, including the Republic of Cyprus.

She said November 7 is a critical date, when the European Commission will present Turkey’s progress report, adding that efforts should be intensified.

Asked during a press conference in Athens at the end of the informal meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs from Mediterranean countries, EU members, whether Greece and Cyprus will veto Turkeyʼs European course if it does not implement its EU preconditions, Bakoyiannis replied that consciously she will not use the word “veto”.

”There is a procedure going on, a procedure for Turkeyʼs European aspirations, there is an internal procedure and there are obligations which Turkey has undertaken, and foremost, its obligation to honour the Ankara Protocol”, she added.

Bakoyiannis asked to comment on the proposal of the Finnish Presidency of the EU, said ”it needs various improvements”.

The Finnish Presidency tabled some draft proposals in a bid to avoid a ”train crash” in Turkey’s accession talks, due to Ankara’s refusal to implement the additional protocol.

”It is a foundation for discussion”, she said adding, ”that this moment a discussion is taking place, we believe it (the proposal) needs various improvements but I will not get in the substance of the proposal”, she concluded.

LILLIKAS-PAPANDREOU
Ties between Athens and Nicosia are “exemplary”, Cypriot foreign minister George Lillikas said in an interview published on Saturday.

The minister told the Vima newspaper that the island republic would no longer give Turkey the green light in its bid to join the European Union if Ankara failed to meet its commitments; and would employ its right of veto at the negotiating table chaired by the 25-nation bloc’s Finnish presidency.

“The government will not concede a third time, even if it remains alone among its 24 EU partners,” Lillikas warned.

“We are in full harmony with Athens. We have discussed many angles of our tactics and strategy…We have never attributed any problems to the Greek government, and we would never seek to burden any problem on the Greek government,” he underlined.

Asked if Cyprus’ credibility would be harmed should it maintain its threat of a veto and then back down, Lillikas replied: “If Turkey persists in its current policy, we have no other choice. But what we say, we mean. It is not our purpose to have a crisis,” he said.

“A Turkish journalist and a Turkish diplomat asked me what we have to gain if the two ‘trains’ crash. My reply was…Nothing, unfortunately nothing,” the minister added.

The leader of the main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) on Saturday met Cyprus’ foreign minister for talks on Turkey’s bid to join the European Union, and on the Cyprus question.

“As often, we had the opportunity to exchange views on key developments in the Cyprus issue and Turkey’s move towards the European Union. I detailed my recent visit to Turkey and my meetings with Premier Erdogan, of which I have already informed the Cypriot president,” PASOK leader George Papandreou told reporters after his meeting in Athens with George Lillikas.

“In the talks (with Lillikas) we looked for likely moves and initiatives to which we could all contribute in handling Turkey’s course towards Europe, a course that I think we all want, but which, on the other hand, entails specific commitments that Ankara must honour immediately – such as good neighbourliness within the framework of agreements, decisioins of the European Union. It’s time for Turkey to take a step forward,” he said.

Lillikas thanked Papandreou for his willingness to advance the Cypriot government’s line, including through the Socialist International, which the PASOK leader currently heads.

“I think that this was a very productive and creative meeting, with detailed discussion of the various scenarios or ideas that are currently on the table, as well as an assessment of perspectives that could allow for avoidance of a conflict in ties between Europe and Turkey,” Lillikas added.

“Our aim is for Turkey to maintain its move towards Europe. However, as we have often seen, this does not depend on us. In the final analysis, it depends on the stand that the Turkish government itself will hold,” he added.