Written statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ioannis Kasoulides, on the Conclusions of the EU GAC
15/12/2015
I express our satisfaction concerning the text of the Conclusions on Turkey adopted today by the General Affairs Council (GAC) of the European Union.
This year’s Conclusions include an important new element since, through them, a strong response is given to the unilateral actions by Turkey to file a statement after the EU-Turkey Summit, during which Turkey’s position on non-application of the Readmission Agreement in the case of Cyprus is reaffirmed. More specifically, in the text of the Conclusions is explicitly mentioned that such unilateral declarations have no any legal validity. The Council also underlines the importance of the full and effective implementation by Turkey of the Readmission Agreement and the Roadmap for liberalization of the visa regime to all member states, including cooperation in Justice and Home Affairs.
As regards, in general, Turkey’s course of accession negotiations, I would like to principally note the clear reference in the text of the Conclusions on the need to respect the negotiating framework and Turkey’s obligations towards the EU, which is a key parameter when talking about Turkey’s accession course.
Seizing this opportunity, I would like to reiterate this: The accession negotiations with the candidate countries have a purely intergovernmental nature. The European Commission has the right to carry out preparatory work on the accession chapters the Commission wants, without prejudging the position of the member states. This also applies to the six accession chapters the Republic of Cyprus unilaterally froze in 2009. The reasons why Cyprus has taken this decision exist and, therefore, our position on this issue has not changed.
In support of the above, in the context of today’s debate, we tabled a Statement, which was recorded in the minutes of the Council, reaffirming our firm position as regards Turkey’s Cyprus-related obligations and emphasizing that our position, since 2009, remains unchanged. Additionally, in response to the recent unilateral declaration of Turkey on the Road Map for visa liberalization associated with Chapter 24, we made it clear that progress on this chapter will depend only on the full and indiscriminate implementation of the obligations of Turkey against all EU member states.
The Conclusions, as in previous years, refer to the continuous non-implementation of the Ankara Protocol. In particular, they express deep disappointment because Turkey refuses to implement fully and without discrimination the Ankara Protocol, despite repeated appeals. It is also mentioned that Turkey, unfortunately, has not made any progress towards the normalization of its relations with the Republic of Cyprus and it is recalled that the recognition of all member states is a key component of the accession process. In this context, reference is made to the counter-declaration of September 21, 2015, which includes all the obligations of Turkey towards Cyprus.
The text of the Conclusions also repeats reference to the need for respecting the sovereignty of the member states over their own territorial waters and airspace and expresses the need to avoid threads or actions against member states. In this context, specific reference is made to the Conclusions of the European Council of October 2014, in which EU expressed serious concern about the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean and called on Turkey to show restraint and to respect the sovereign rights of Cyprus within its territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Two other important elements are the new reference in connection with the accession of EU member states in international organizations and the need to comply with the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
With regard to the Cyprus problem, having welcomed the commitment of the parties to the talks, it is stated that the role and contribution of Turkey in the process is of critical importance. In this framework, Turkey is invited to actively support the negotiations for a just, comprehensive and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and the principles on which the EU is founded.