4 December 2009 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
If new sanctions are placed on Turkey for not opening its air and sea ports to Greek Cypriot traffic, Turkish society will lose any desire to further pursue EU membership, Egemen Bağış, Turkey’s chief EU negotiator, has said.
Speaking at a meeting organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) and the Centre for European Politics (CEP) on Thursday, Bağış said Turkey has always been an effective broker among its neighbors. Answering a question on possible new sanctions if Turkey fails to open its ports to Greek Cypriot vessels, Bağış said Turkey is already affected by sanctions. “The EU decided to freeze eight negotiation chapters and forbade the closure of any negotiation chapters in 2006 due to the Cyprus stalemate. These sanctions are extreme. The two leaders of the island are already meeting weekly to find a lasting peace settlement to the conflict. New sanctions over this will significantly reduce the will of Turkish society to pursue EU membership,” Bağış said.
