Additional Protocol Of The Ankara Association Agreement To Cyprus
He sees how everyone will lose because of the continuing division: the EU, Turkey, NATO and especially the Cypriots on both sides. The paper cites a study by the Oslo Peace Research Institute (PRIO) which states that the Cypriot economy, with a successful federalist regulation, would record an additional GDP growth of 10% in seven years. At their December 2004 summit, EU heads of state and government agreed to begin accession negotiations with Turkey on 3 October 2005. One of the conditions was for Ankara to extend a 1963 Association Agreement with the EU`s predecessor, the European Economic Community, to the ten new MEMBER States of the Union. This group also includes the Greek Cypriot state, which is not recognized by Turkey. Turkey first applied for membership of the European Economic Community (EEC) in July 1959, with the EEC established in 1958. The EEC responded by proposing the establishment of an association as an interim measure leading to full membership. This led to negotiations that culminated in the Ankara Agreement on 12 September 1963. [1] In July 2005, Turkey signed a protocol extending its customs union to EU-10 countries, but at the same time Ankara issued a statement stating that its signature did not mean that it recognised the Republic of Cyprus. Turkey has also refused to open its ports and airports in Cyprus. 2) The additional protocol was signed today by exchange of letters between Turkey and the EU Presidency and the Commission.
With this signature, an official declaration was made by Turkey, which is legally an integral part of our signature and letter and is forwarded to the EU. Turkey`s permanent representative to the EU signed the protocol and declaration on behalf of the Turkish side. In April 2004, Greek Cypriots refused and Turkish Cypriots approved in a referendum a single UN-backed plan, known as the Annan Plan. The failure of the plan disappointed EU officials who had agreed to allow Cyprus to join this year, in part in the hope that it would promote a solution to the Cyprus problem. 4) Turkey`s commitment to finding a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus issue and its support for the UN Secretary-General`s efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement for the creation of a new two-zonal partnership state are also included in our statement. 1) It should be recalled that at the EU summit on 16-17 December 2004 in Brussels, Turkey said that it would sign the additional protocol renewing the Ankara agreement to all EU Member States before 3 October 2005, after the necessary negotiations. The central point of the problem was the non-compliance with Turkey`s commitments in the 2004 Ankara Protocol, which were then incorporated into the country`s negotiations for EU membership. “The fact is that Turkey has not kept these commitments – all of them,” Kyprianou said. Currently, eight of the 35 chapters are suspended for non-compliance with the Ankara Protocol. Mr.
Kyprianou hopes for tangible improvements by December 2009 to break the deadlock. Good relations between Turkey and Greece have recently deteriorated following complaints by the Greek authorities about alleged violations of the no-fly zone by Turkish aircraft. This slowdown in relations between the two countries undermines their cooperation within NATO and hinders the negotiation process in Cyprus.