No EU talks with Turkey without signing protocol

Luxembourg’s Prime Minister and current president of the European Council, Jean Claude Juncker, pledged that there is no way the EU will commence accession negotiations with Turkey if it does not sign the protocol extending its customs union with the ten new member states, including Cyprus.

He was speaking during a press conference today after talks in Luxembourg with Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos

Answering a question about Turkey’s protocol in relation to the country beginning accession negotiations, Juncker said ‘there is no way of commencing the negotiations without signing the protocol.’

The Cypriot President thanked Juncker for inviting him to visit Luxembourg, adding that they examined the need for progress to commence talks on the Cyprus problem, which is the aim of the Cypriot government.