Turkey Threatens EU with 'Freeze' Unless Cyprus Mess Cleared by 2012

A handout picture released by Iranian Presidential Official Website on 12 July 2011, shows Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) talking to Turkish Foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu (L) at the presidential office, in Tehran, Iran, on 11 July 2011. EPA/

Turkey will freeze its relations with the EU if the Republic of Cyrpus takes over the EU Presidency in July 2012 without a resolution of the issue with the divided island, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has threatened.

"If the Greek Cypriot side stalls negotiations and takes over the presidency of the European Union in July 2012, this means not only a deadlock on the island, but also a blockage, a freezing point in Turkey-European Union relations," Davutoglu told a news conference on Wednesday, as cited by BGNES.

"It would be out of the question for us to recognize the southern Cypriot administration's term presidency in any way," he said.

Turkey started accession talks in 2005 but progress has been slow, largely because of the conflict in Cyprus where the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – recognized by Ankara only – holds 38% of the island's territory.

U.N.-sponsored peace talks between the two communities have stumbled since they were relaunched in 2008.

The EU says Ankara must meet its pledge to open up to traffic from the Greek Cypriot part of the island as part of a 2005 agreement known as the Ankara protocol; Turkey says the EU should end its blockade of the Turkish Cypriot side.

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