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Merkel criticises Turkey on Cyprus peace efforts

Posted on: Wed January 12, 2011

NICOSIA  : German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised Turkey and Turkish Cypriots on Tuesday for not doing enough to achieve a deal to reunify war-divided Cyprus, and pledged to speak to Turkish officials to give the peace talks a boost. In the first visit by a German leader to the island, Merkel lauded Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias for his courage and creativity in talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu.

But she scolded the Turkish side for failing to keep up with Christofias in peace efforts. We see that you are taking many steps and we also see that the Turkish side is not responding accordingly to these steps, Merkel said after talks with Christofias in the divided capital. Your steps show that you are prepared to come to a compromise.

The talks in are their third year with limited progress to show for it. Cyprus was split into a Turkish Cypriot north and a Greek Cypriot south in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by people who wanted to unify the island nation with Greece. Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but only the internationally recognised south enjoys the benefits. A northern breakaway state declared in 1983 is recognised only by Turkey, which maintains 35,000 troops there.

The dispute is hampering Turkey s EU membership bid and holding back closer co-operation between the EU and Nato. Nato member Turkey has blocked formal Nato-EU relations, and Cyprus has vetoed Turkey taking part in EU defence activities. Turkey began entry talks with the EU in 2005, but negotiations on several policy areas have stalled or been suspended because Turkey refuses to open its ports to trade with Cyprus since it does not recognise the Greek Cypriot government.

Merkel said her government wants Turkey s EU entry talks to continue irrespective of what the decision will be at the end , but warned that they won t conclude without Ankara opening its ports to Cypriot trade. Turkey s entry talks cover 35 different areas, or chapters. Of these, only 11 have been opened in the last five years. As long as Turkey doesn t (open its ports to Cyprus), it cannot close any chapters and none have closed until now, Merkel said.

 Courtesy : Business Recorder