Cyprus backs Turkey's bid to join EU

Cyprus supported Turkey's accession to the European Union, provided it "behaved" like other member states, Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos said yesterday.

Each member state had to perform its full obligations towards the EU and Turkey was no exception, the 71-year old President told reporters after talks with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

Turkey's application to join the EU, a serious sticking point on the divided island of Cyprus, was among the subjects discussed during Mr Papadopoulos's two-day state visit to Malta.

Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974, when Turkish troops occupied the northern third of the island in response to a coup engineered by the then-ruling military junta in Athens to unite the country with Greece.

Only the internationally recognised south has enjoyed the benefits of EU membership since the island joined the bloc on May 1, after Greek Cypriots rejected a UN blueprint to reunify the country.

Mr Papadopoulos, who was among those responsible for steering the no vote, told The Times he believed the plan as proposed by UN secretary general Kofi Annan would have solidified the divisions rather than unify the island. He said his country needed a bi-communal and federal solution to the Cyprus problem.

"We want a reunification of the country and that means the area, society, economy and institutions. We cannot, for example, have two central banks. We need a solution which is functional."

The challenges and the solutions of the two countries were similar in many respects and that was why maximum cooperation was required, Mr Papadopoulos said.

Asked by the Cypriot press what he made of Turkey's application, Dr Gonzi reiterated Malta's support for the country to be in the EU.

"Turkey's candidacy is a positive development for the EU as it brings its borders closer to the Middle East. The national interest of countries like Malta and Cyprus demands that we make every effort to achieve maximum stability in this region. So this is a step in the right direction. Let's hope that this brings further change in Turkey," Dr Gonzi said.

The Prime Minister said he was prepared to offer Malta's help wherever needed, especially in resolving the Cyprus-Turkey conflict.

The two leaders also discussed the common issue of illegal immigration and augured that the EU would realise the extent of the problem and try and map out a solution.