Malta agrees to EU declaration on Turkey
Malta has signalled its agreement to the issue of a counter-declaration being proposed by the EU following a unilateral declaration by Turkey last July that its extension of the Customs Union to the 10 "new" EU member states did not mean it was...
Malta has signalled its agreement to the issue of a counter-declaration being proposed by the EU following a unilateral declaration by Turkey last July that its extension of the Customs Union to the 10 "new" EU member states did not mean it was recognising Cyprus.
Council sources told The Times Malta agreed with the EU's intention to issue a counter declaration although discussions held this week at ambassadorial level did not yield a final agreement on the wording.
The sources said technical discussions were still ongoing with the presidency to press for a deal by next week's Coreper meeting.
Certain member states such as France, Greece and Cyprus itself are demanding an explicit mention of the word "recognition" in the text of the counter declaration. The Cypriot government is also demanding a roadmap spelling out that Ankara will over time take concrete steps towards recognising the island.
The extension of the Customs union agreement, known as the Ankara agreement, was the final condition demanded by the EU prior to the opening of accession negotiations with Turkey, scheduled for October 3.
The sources said that although the Turkish declaration did not have any legal value it did not help in the ongoing discussions between member states on the start of negotiations. The EU member states have still to agree unanimously on the negotiations framework with Turkey before negotiations can start.
Council sources said that the envisioned EU counter declaration seeks to accommodate Cypriot, Greek and French claims that Turkey is unfit to negotiate with the bloc if it does not recognise all 25 of its members.
Until now, Turkey does not allow Cypriot ships to enter its ports and prevents Cypriot planes from flying through its airspace. The sources said that these conditions will have to go if Turkey wants to become a member of the EU club as they breach the Customs union agreement.
Malta is in favour of the start of negotiations with Turkey on condition the country fully respects its obligations.