‘Republic of Cyprus cannot be Imposed on Turkish Cypriots’

As the minutes are counted down for the accession ceremony to be held for the 10 new countries entering into E.U., the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a written statement. The 9th item of the 12-item document received considerable attention. It read as follows:

"The Greeks that will access the E.U. on May 1, 2004, not only do not have the authority to represent the Turkish Cyprus, much less all of Cyprus, they do not have authority or sovereignty over the entire island of Cyprus. The Republic of Cyprus cannot be imposed on Turkish Cypriots."

The statement underlined the fact that the accession document dated April 16, 2004, says that today only the Greek side of the Island will participate in the E.U. The accession agreement, which institutes the political and legal dividedness of the Island, does not allow for a united Cyprus to be a member of the E.U. Therefore, an international issue is imported to the E.U.