Greece and Cyprus said they backed Turkey's bid to join the European Union, but that the neighbour with which they have been at loggerheads for years must meet EU entry requirements.
"We have fully supported the full entry of Turkey to the European Union. But it is not possible to give our consent unless the Cyprus problem is solved, and Turkey meets all its obligations towards the European Union," Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said on a visit to Cyprus.
In comments to journalists earlier Karamanlis said: We believe that a Turkey which will adopt European rules of behaviour … will be a Turkey much better for its citizens and the whole of the EU,"
"There is no blank cheque," added Cypriot President Demetris Christofias. The two allies, both EU members, have had a difficult relationship with Ankara for decades. Turkey invaded northern Cyprus in 1974 after a brief Greek-inspired coup and has kept troops in the north ever since, while a resolution of their differences has defied numerous mediators.
Greek and Turkish Cypriots live on separate sides of the Mediterranean island, divided by a ceasefire line manned by one of the world's longest-serving peacekeeping missions. A new round of peace talks began last year.
Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004 but is effectively represented only by its Greek Cypriot community which can frustrate Turkish aspirations. By supporting Turkey's bid, Greek Cypriots believe they can further their own aim of getting concessions from Ankara on the way to a peace deal.
EU membership for secular but predominantly Muslim Turkey also faces stiff opposition from heavyweights such as France and Germany. Ankara's entry talks will be assessed this year.
Karamanlis said he believed Turkey had not made enough progress in various phases of its entry talks, but this was not enough to warrant Greece changing its policy of supporting Turkey's candidacy.
"Its European perspective for entry presupposes its full adaptation and full adoption of the conditions for one to be a member of the European Union. From there on there is an issue on whether this is being followed in a satisfactory manner," he said after talks with Christofias.
"The assessment we make … is that right now it is not satisfactory. But I do not think that this should lead, now, to a change in strategy," Karamanlis said.
Hopes of a swift resolution on Cyprus received a setback when recent Turkish Cypriot parliamentary elections were won by hardliners advocating a two-state deal on the island, at odds with the federal model now under discussion.
Christofias said the negotiations had not yielded the results he hoped for. "There is a concurrence of views on various issues, but on the larger issues there are still serious disagreements," he said
