Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

Foreign ministry spokesman responds to Cem's threat to annex Cyprus territory if it joins EU before Cyprus problem is solved
by ANA, Athens, 09/01/2001
Posted: Monday, January 15, 2001 07:36 am CST

Turkey has no say over Cyprus' EU accession, foreign ministry spokesman Panagiotis Beglitis said on Monday, while warning Ankara that it must act in accordance with its obligations under the EU-Turkey partnership agreement or jeopardize its own accession course.

Beglitis was responding to statements made by Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem on Monday, who told a Turkish television journalists that Turkey would effectively annex occupied territories in northern Cyprus if the Cyprus Republic joined the EU before a solution to the Cyprus problem had been arrived at.

"With the Helsinki decisions and the provisions of the partnership agreement, Turkey has undertaken certain obligations as regards the Cyprus problem. It has no say in Cyprus' accession course and should comply with the commitments arising from these texts, otherwise its own European course will be judged accordingly," Beglitis said.

He announced that Foreign Minister George Papandreou would be meeting with Britain's special envoy for the Cyprus issue Sir David Hannay on Tuesday afternoon."

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