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Greek Cyprus says will not consent to opening Turkey EU chapters

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NICOSIA – Reuters

n_96471_1Greek Cyprus on March 15 ruled out consenting to an expedition of Turkey’s long-stalled talks to enter the European Union, unless Ankara fulfilled its obligations to recognize the island.

Turkey wants its citizens to have visa-free access to Europe by June and to open new “chapters” of its long-stalled talks on it joining the EU in returning for assistance in stemming the human tide of refugees through Europe in one of the worst humanitarian crises since the World War II.

“I conveyed to (EU Council) President Tusk our position that the Republic of Cyprus does not intent to consent to the opening of any chapters if Turkey does not fulfill its obligations as described in the negotiating framework,” Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades told reporters after a meeting with EU Council President Donald Tusk in Nicosia.

Turkey warns Greek Cyprus over hydrocarbon searches

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hydrocarbon-cyprusTurkey has expressed its concern over Greek Cyprus’ “one-sided” off-shore hydrocarbon searches, after the Turkish administration of northern Cyprus announced that a new ship had begun unilateral exploration in its “so-called exclusive economic zone,” the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“Turkey follows with concern the Greek Cypriot Administration’s (GCA) continuing unilateral research activities of hydrocarbon resources in its so called Exclusive Economic Zone without taking into account the Turkish Cypriots’ detailed and concrete cooperation proposals for a fair sharing,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement released on Oct. 4.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus had announced on Oct. 3 that a Bahama-registered ship, SAIPEM 10000, began hydrocarbon exploration in Block 9, in an area southeast of the island that Greek Cypriots have declared an exclusive economic zone ex parte or unilaterally.

Turkey disputes Greek Cyprus’s rights to a swathe of sea to the island’s south and southeast that are rich in natural gas reserves, adding to long-standing tensions between the neighbors.

The Turkish government says all revenues obtained from the drilling operations off the coast of Cyprus should be distributed between Greek Cyprus and Turkish Cyprus, and have frequently warned that Turkey would undertake unilateral drilling in the event of any failure to equitably share revenues.

“Turkey expects the GCA to refrain from acting as if it is the sole owner of the resources of the Island, to halt its unilateral research activities and to adopt an understanding with a view to establishing a new partnership,” the ministry statement said.

Reiterating Turkey’s “determination to maintain its constructive support,” the statement also stressed the country’s caution against potential repercussions of the Greek Cyprus’ “irresponsible act” over the ongoing peace efforts to re-unify divided island, “which Turkey expects to have positive results soon.”

“Nevertheless, as it was stated repeatedly, if the priority of the GCA is to act unilaterally over the natural resources, this will never be accepted,” the statement asserted.

Ankara also called on the international community to step in “to prevent the provocative and unilateral steps” of Greek Cyprus.

Turkey will ignore ECHR ruling to pay compensation to Greek Cyprus

By

Sevil Erkuş ANKARA

Turkey will not pay a fine imposed on the country by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for the Turkish military’s 1974 intervention in Cyprus, officials in Ankara n_66356_5have announced.

“In terms of the grounds for this ruling, its method and the fact that it is considering a country that Turkey does not recognize as a counterpart, we see no necessity to make this payment,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said at a press conference on May 13.

The ECHR’s ruling consists of some “legal contradictions” and therefore Turkey does not see it at as binding in terms of payment, he said.

No court can force Turkey to pay a penalty to a state – Greek Cyprus – that it does not recognize, the minister said. “The court has exceeded its authority in intervening into a state-to-state problem.”

Turkey previously refused to pay similar penalties on the ECHR’s Cyprus rulings over individual applications by Greek Cypriots, Turkish diplomatic sources said, also referring to a separate ECHR ruling that Russia did not carry out.

In this case, the Council of Europe Ministers Committee could issue a condemnation against Turkey for implementing the ECHR order.

Ankara will inform ECHR about its decision to not pay the fine, outlining its reasons, according to sources.

In its ruling on a lawsuit filed by Greek Cyprus in 1994, the ECHR found Turkey guilty on May 12 of violating European human rights agreements, stating that the whereabouts of 1,491 Greek Cypriots was still unknown and that 211,000 Greek Cypriots were forced from their homes after Turkey’s intervention in Cyprus in 1974. The ECHR ordered Turkey to pay 30 million euros to be distributed to the living relatives of the missing people, while it said 60 million euros in damages should be paid for “the enclaved Greek-Cypriot residents of the Karpas peninsula.”

Davutoğlu described the timing of the ruling as “not well-intentioned.”

“The ECHR should rule on all the missing people cases, including the Turks in Turkish Cyprus,” he said.