CYPRIOT TERM PRESIDENCY CAN BE AN OPPORTUNITY

Participating in the meeting organized jointly by the European Union Policy Centre and Turkish Businessmen and Tradesmen Confederation in the second day of his contacts in Brussels, Minister for EU Affairs and the Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis touched upon Turkey's EU accession process and Cyprus's term presidency.

Bagis stated that while some people were in the opinion that Cyprus Greek Administration, which would take over EU term presidency in the second half of 2012, would cripple Turkey-EU relations for 6 months, and emphasized that he considered that situation as an opportunity. Bagis said: "We have 1 year to see whether a country which took over EU term presidency would choose to leave the people on the island in isolation or would favour a stabilized peace. We have 1 year to see the connecting quality of the EU by guaranteeing the representation of Cyprus by the two nations on the island.

Bagis stated that no one should expect unilateral step from the Turkish side for the solution of the Cyprus issue.

In his speech which he touched upon the membership process, noting that in the agenda of TGNA there were many draft laws that would make Turkey come closer to the EU, Bagis said: "If the obstacles are removed, Turkey is ready to open 16 chapters in addition to 13 chapters which were opened in the short and medium term."

Stating that although 2011 was an election year, they were determined to continue to carry out the EU reforms, Bagis recalled that, with also the support of the opposing party, Turkish Trade Law consisted of 4 thousand articles was passed in the TGNA within a short period of time.

While telling about the scenario of Turkey in the EU accession process for the next 1.5 years, Bagis said: "In Turkey, there exists that will and the EU could open that road." Bagis stated that Turkey could not proceed due to the fact that some EU member states put forth their domestic problems into the enlargement issues.

Source: AA