Turkish PM: Cyprus not exist in Copenhagen criteria

ANKARA (AA) – Charging Greek spokesman Hristos Protopapas’s words as “The Progress Report is a strong warning to Turkey and it must understand that the European Union path passes from Cyprus,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that if the Copenhagen Criteria is being talked, the issue does not include Cyprus criteria.

“I find Protopapas’s attitude wrong. If we talk about the Copenhagen criteria, this does not include the Cyprus criteria,” Erdogan said.

Hosting Finland Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, Erdogan said of the EU issue that the EU member countries must be fair to Turkey and help it to receive an accession date.

Erdogan said that the government also expects a fair and a permanent solution.

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“Our logic tells us to give a negotiation date to Turkey on December 2004. We think that Turkey is ready for that,” Tuomioja said.

Erdogan also asked Finland to inlude PKK-KADEK into the list of terrorist organisations.