Four Points of Worry in Cyprus

Now that the Cypriot-Greeks have overwhelmingly rejected plans to reunify the island, Ankara has four distressing matters that it will have to attend to. The Foreign Ministry official detailed the situation:

"The first problem will come with the negotiation date for European Union (EU) membership. The Greek side is expected to bring up their unease at the presence of the Turkish troops on the island until December. [Second] Turkey is signing the Customs Union and free trade agreements within the framework of integration with Europe. And now, Ankara will have to agree on economic collaboration with a country that it does not recognize (Greek Republic of Cyprus). [Third] It is also certain that the Greek Cypriots will demand to have an embassy in Ankara. Just as in the case of the Annan Plan, this issue might lead to a disagreement within Turkey. Some in the spheres of the Foreign Ministry are in favor of recognizing the Greek Republic of Cyprus, some of giving it indirect recognition and still some of delaying this process. [Fourth] The greatest trouble waiting for Turkey, however, is the cases of compensation currently halted in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)."

The Cyprus question has not been totally eradicated though it will no longer be considered an obstacle to Turkey’s EU accession in line with the referenda outcome. Another official explained: "We are waiting for the atmosphere to settle after the recent developments. If the plan had been accepted, the cases in the ECHR would have been referred to the United Cyprus. Now uncertainty prevails on the island. The decisions of the ECHR will have a vital effect on Turkey."

The ECHR had reached the stage of handing down verdicts in two of the compensation cases. However, the court did not want to bother Turkey with its verdict on these cases so as not to block a probable solution. Ankara is now expecting the domestic law constituted in the island to be acknowledged in the ECHR.