Turkey obliged to expand customs union before EU talks: Cyprus

Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos said Monday Turkey is obliged to expand its customs union protocol before starting entry talks with the European Union (EU) which amounts to recognition of Cyprus.

Asked if he expects Turkey to be more flexible on this issue, Papadopoulos noted Turkey has a timeframe and is obliged to keep it.

The president made the remarks while commenting on Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's statement that the protocol will be signed between Turkey and the EU, not between Turkey and Cyprus, hence Ankara would not recognize the republic.

Gul said in Ankara on Monday that recognition would not be considered until a permanent solution is found to the Cyprus issue.

The EU decided last Friday to begin accession talks with Turkey in October 2005 but conditioned that Turkey should expand the customs union to its 10 new members, including Cyprus, before that.

Cyprus has been divided into the Greek Cypriot south and Turkish Cypriot north since 1974 when Turkish troops entered and seized the northern one-third of the island following a failed coup seeking union with Greece.

The south is internationally recognized, while northern Cyprus is only backed by Turkey, which still maintains some 35,000 troops there.

Source: Xinhua