Turkey to "freeze" EU ties during Cypriot presidency

Source: Tanjug

ANKARA -- Turkish PM Recep Erdogan has said his country would "freeze" its relations with the EU when Cyprus takes over as the organization's presiding country.

Recep Erdogan (file)

Turkey, which in the 1970s invaded the northern part of the island, does not have diplomatic relations with Cyprus.

"We will not have any sort of discussion with the Cypriot president. Our contacts with the EU will be frozen," Erdogan told a Turkish daily.

Erdogan is due to visit northern Cyprus, where local Turks declared a state, recognized by Turkey.

The Republic of Cyprus, meanwhile, is due to take over the EU presidency in mid-2012.

Turkey, which does not recognize the government in Nicosia, said it was in favor of speedier UN-sponsored talks held between the two sides.

Unless a solution is reached for the Cypriot problem by the time Nicosia takes over the EU presidency, reports suggest that Turkey's EU membership bid will suffer further setbacks.

Turkey was given EU candidate status in 1999, and started accession negotiations six years later - without any significant progress to date.