PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen declared that; “the threats must cease. The government of Cyprus is within its right and Turkey must abstain from any source of tension that could undermine the stability of the region”. The Cyprus issue has been a barrier to Turkey’s accession to the European Union in the past and, if there is a genuine interest to find a solution, talks have to make real progress.
PES calls on Turkey to respect the sovereign rights of Cyprus
11/10/2011
The Party of European Socialists (PES) calls on Turkey to respect the sovereign rights of all European Union (EU) Member States, including those of Cyprus. Recently, Ankara has challenged the Cypriot government’s decision to pursue an oil exploration within its exclusive economic zone, further complicating the difficult relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The European dimension of this situation is magnified as the Republic of Cyprus will take over the rotating EU presidency in July 2012.
