Cyprus Minister of Education and Culture Akis Kleanthous told CNA that the accession of the Turkish Cypriot illegal regime’s so called universities to the Bologna Process is no longer an issue.
The issue was tabled by the Turkish delegation, during the 5th Bologna conference of Ministers responsible for Higher Education which took place in London 16-18 May 2007.
In her intervention against this demand by the Turkish side, Greek Education Minister Marietta Yiannakou underlined that a fundamental principle of the Bologna Process was that this is an intergovernmental process, a principle which could not be violated.
Education Ministers turned down the Turkish proposal, insisting on the intergovernmental nature of the process.
”We stated that we could not accept such a proposal,” Kleanthous told CNA.
He added that an effort on the part of Britain for establishing a non-official relationship between ”educational establishments” in Cyprus’ occupied areas and the academic institutions recognised by the Bologna Process was also prevented. The proposal was withdrawn as Cyprus, Greece and other participating countries were against it.
”We stated that this proposal would create significant problems since it would create a new process,” Kleanthous noted.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. In November 1983 the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus unilaterally declared their independence. This action has been condemned by the UN and declared as legally invalid by UN Security Council resolution 541 of November 1983, which called on all states not to recognise the self-styled regime and not to facilitate it in any way. Only Turkey recognises the Turkish Cypriot puppet regime
The purpose of the Bologna process (or Bologna accords) is to create the European higher education area by making academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe. It is named after the place it was proposed, the University of Bologna with the signing, in 1999, of the Bologna declaration by ministers of education from 29 European countries in the Italian city of Bologna.
