Turkey may end the process of negotiating accession to the European Union over lack of progress as well as the risk of sanctions in relation to the country's ongoing row with Cyprus, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Tuesday
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th November, 2019) Turkey may end the process of negotiating accession to the European Union over lack of progress as well as the risk of sanctions in relation to the country's ongoing row with Cyprus, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Tuesday.
"We have the rights as a guarantor country in this region. We also have rights in the [Cypriot] economic zone. Countries that do not have these rights come and carry out work, and they tell us that we can't enter here or else Turkey will be sanctioned. You're constantly wasting time, threatening us with sanctions, making promises that you never keep. The fact that we are at the negotiating table does not oblige us to anything. Negotiations can suddenly end," Erdogan told reporters in Ankara.
Ankara and Brussels have been at odds over the former's drilling and exploration of hydrocarbon fields in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus � both Ankara, which backs the independence movement of the Turkish Cypriots, and the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus, claim the right to drill for natural resources in the area. In early May, Turkey sent its first drilling vessel, Fatih, to the region, followed by Yavuz in October.
In mid-October, the council of EU foreign ministers agreed that sanctions should be imposed on any Turkish individual and entity involved in the drilling. The council adopted a framework for such measures on Monday, which will include travel bans and asset freezes.
In 1963, Turkey signed an association agreement with the EU � which at the time was the European Economic Community � and in 1987 the country applied for full membership. However, accession negotiations began only in 2005 and have since been suspended numerous times due to disagreements. In March 2016, Brussels stepped up negotiations in exchange for Turkey's consent to help reduce the influx of migrants to the EU.
