Turkey to freeze EU ties if Cyprus gets presidency

[Bosonic]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said EU-candidate Turkey would freeze relations with the European Union if Cyprus is given the rotating EU presidency in 2012, state-run Anatolian news agency reported late on Saturday.

"If the peace negotiations there (Cyprus) are not conclusive, and the EU gives its rotating presidency to southern Cyprus, the real crisis will be between Turkey and the EU," Anatolian quoted Atalay as telling Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio and TV at the end of a trip to the breakaway state of northern Cyprus.

"Because we will then freeze our relations with the EU. We have made this announcement, as a government we have made this decision," the agency quoted Atalay as saying.

The internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot government is due to obtain the six-month rotating EU presidency in July 2012.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/18/us-turkey-cyprus-idUSTRE78H0GN20110918

[pampango]

1. Turkey has a higher per capita income than Romania and Bulgaria-the last countries to enter the EU.

I suppose it really is the "Muslim" issue that is the sticking point for EU membership for Turkey.

Turkey: $14,580
Romania: $11,860
Bulgaria: $12,851

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romania
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaria

[Kurska]

2. Couldn't be the regional sword rattling or the political domination by an fundamentalist religious

party.

Nope. Not at all.

[Odin2005]

11. That party is more populuist than fundamentalist AFAIK.

IMO they are a force for good in Turkey in spite of it's Islamist nature because it is emphatically against the Turkish military interfering.

[CJvR]

3. That and...

Getting dragged into the ME minefield and the tradtional Russian - Turkish hostility.

[FarCenter]

6. Relations between Turkey and Russia have been warming up recently

And Turkey's relations with countries in the Middle East have been improving (except for Israel, of course).

The EU was always undecided about whether it wanted to admit Turkey. Now I think that the general sentiment in Turkey is to not want entry into the EU.

The next step is for Turkey to leave NATO.

[Diclotican]

4. Bosonic

Bosonic

Wel thats Turkeys loss, not EU/ Cyprus loss.. Even tho Turkey have made a lot of progress the last couple of years, it is still not to welcome in many EU member states.. Both Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and some other nations on the Balkan have strong reservations about the posibility of Turkey get into EU anytime soon.. And it is not just becouse Turkey is a Muslim country, where the others is greek ortodox or catholic, in faith. It goes all the way back to 1453 and all that...

I doubt, that Turkey wil be member of Eu anytime soon. In fact I belive Norway to be a memberstate of EU, before Turkey is it.

Diclotican

[jberryhill]

5. If Greece Heats Up, A Frozen Turkey Can Be Dangerous

[pam4water]

7. Sounds like Turkey is pulling a bullying move to me.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

9. Again!

They want the world to forget about the Armenians, the Kurds, and their invasion of Cyprus

[quakerboy]

8. And the learning continues

I thought I was fairly up on things in the world, relatively speaking.

I fail. I had no idea that Cyprus was divided. That makes Turkey's general willingness to get along with Israel make more sense to me. They seem to be in a similar boat full of holes.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. Cyprus was the victim of a Turkish invasions and no one did anything

Then again no one did anything about the Armenians or the Kurds

[Odin2005]

12. Turkey knows that they will never be allowed in so they are flexing their muscles.

[goforit]

13. Grow up turkey! It's not all about you.