Turkey cannot join the European Union if it does not recognise beforehand the Republic of Cyprus, Acting President of the Republic and House of Representatives Speaker Marios Garoyian and Belgian Senator and Chairman of the Belgium-Cyprus Friendship Group at the Belgian Parliament Philippe Monfils have said.
In statements after a meeting on Thursday, Garoyian said that there is a common understanding with the Belgian officials “that a solution cannot be functional or viable without the withdrawal of Turkish troops and settlers and without creating the preconditions to set up a functional and viable state which will secure all human rights without intervention rights and guarantees which Turkey wants”.
He said the meeting concentrated on developments in the Cyprus issue as well as on relations with the two parliaments.
Garoyian said he conveyed to Monfils the positions of the Greek Cypriot side on the progress of negotiations the Greek Cypriot side is facing at peace talks with the Turkish Cypriot community, due to intransigent positions the Turkish Cypriots put forward.
The Acting President said that they discussed Turkey’s progress towards EU accession and it was agreed that its “accession negotiations cannot continue with opening more chapters if Turkey does not fulfill its obligations and commitments towards the EU and Cyprus, that is, to recognise the Republic of Cyprus and normalise its relations with the country”.
He called on Turkey to alter its attitude, and urged the international community to exert pressure towards this direction.
Referring to a draft resolution on Cyprus promoted at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Garoyian said it contains many positive elements but at the same time “we do not agree with some references”, such as the reference to so-called direct trade between Cyprus’ northern Turkish occupied areas and the EU.
Monfils said he fully shares the positions expressed by the Cypriot government on the negotiations.
“Belgium has no intention to lecture Cyprus on institutional aspects”, he said, adding that the Belgian Parliament has unanimously approved a resolution which stresses that Cypriots should be left by themselves to decide their future, without outside intervention.
“By saying this, we refer to Turkey”, he noted, speaking through an interpreter, and expressed concern about Turkey’s willingness to allow Cypriot negotiators to agree to a solution.
Monfils said that European institutions have an obligation to exert pressure on Turkey, adding that “Turkey cannot join the EU if it does not recognise a priori the Republic of Cyprus. We should also ask Turkey, in the framework of the negotiations, to proceed with good will gestures and withdraw its troops, solving the settlers’ issue”. “More pressure is necessary at the moment”, he added.
Answering questions, Monfils said that there is a great difference between Cyprus and Belgium as far as a federal system is concerned. He said that the two Cypriot communities are trying to set up a central government while Belgium has begun as a unified central state and is moving to increased autonomy for its communities.
He said that in Cyprus, both communities want to be reunited while in Belgium, there is fear that one community wants to break away.
The reunification of Cyprus, he added, will “bring benefits and prosperity for everybody within the framework and conditions set out by the Cypriot side. Reunification will be achieved based on proposals for a strong central government because this is the only way to have a federation and not a confederation.”
“We are talking, under any circumstances, about two states which are to be united to form a confederation and share responsibilities”, he stressed.
Monfils said the Belgium-Cyprus Friendship Group will continue, on an EU and international level, to help efforts for a final settlement of the Cyprus issue, stressing that there should not be involvement from third parties which might contort the negotiating procedure.
