A
resolution to the Cyprus Issue?
Belgian Foreign Minster Karel
De Gucht has already made it quite clear that
finding a solution to the Cyprus problem is imperative
if Turkey is to gain admission to the European
Union.
He states categorically that resolving this issue is not only in the best interests
of the EU, but also an important contributing factor to lasting peace and economic
strength in this part of the Union.
After extensive consultation with
his Cypriot counterpart during a visit to the
island, Mr De Gucht made a statement underlining
the fact that all European Union obligations will
have to be fulfilled by Turkey during its candidacy.
Special reference was also made in this statement
regarding the execution of Turkey’s Customs
Union agreement, the so-called Ankara Protocol,
relating to Turkey’s stance vis-à-vis
all new EU member states including the Republic
of Cyprus.
Mr De Gucht said: "Solving
this lasting problem is a precondition for Turkish
EU membership. We have been of the opinion that
the solution of the Cyprus problem should not
necessarily be a precondition for opening accession
negotiations, which we decided in October in Luxembourg
but it certainly is a precondition for membership. |
A
reunified Cyprus in the near future?
We hope that the problem is solved
as soon as possible. It is important for the EU,
for the regional stability and for peace in the
broader European region."
It would appear that a
reunified Cyprus, something which many considered
to be impossibility until recently, is finally a
genuine possibility.
Though full EU membership for Turkey is still comparatively far off, moves will
have to be made by its government to find a workable solution bringing about
the reunification of an island which has been divided for well over three decades.
The possibility of a reunified
Cyprus does of course open the door to a contentious
issue; that of property ownership in the occupied
north.
During the invasion of 1974, more than one hundred
and sixty thousand Greek Cypriots were forcibly
displaced from their homes in what is now the TRNC
(Turkish Republic of North Cyprus).
This problem has been highlighted by the recent
case against David and Linda Orams, a British couple
who bought a villa near the town of Kyrenia in the
TRNC.
More information on the Orams case and the hazards
of buying North
Cyprus property can be found by clicking
here. |
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