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- Cyprus and, in particular, the settlement of the Cyprus issue has always been the firstcondition for Turkey's membership in the European Union. How does Ankara and society perceive the talks between the Turkish Cypriots and Greeks that have started again?
- Speaking in purely legal terms, Cyprus is not a separate condition for Turkey’s membership in the European Union. In 1996, the European Union and Turkey signed a customs union. Moreover, the government has to adhere to the Additional Protocol to the Ankara Agreement of 1963 for its association with the Union that requires it to recognize the 10 new member states, including Cyprus, which joined the Union on 1 May 2004. It was signed a few months before the start of the negotiations in 2005. Immediately afterwards, however, Turkey made a political statement that it would not recognize the Republic of Cyprus unless the issue of the divided island was permanently and fairly resolved. Turkey's refusal to allow the free movement of Cypriot goods, aeroplanes and ships on its territory was in contradiction with the signed documents. Because of Turkey's refusal to implement the Additional Protocol to the Ankara Agreement, the Council of Ministers of the European Union decided in December 2006 to freeze eight of the negotiating chapters until settling the issue. For its part, the government feels "deceived" by Brussels because Turkish Cypriots said "yes" to the plan of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan for the reunification of Cyprus and the Greeks, who said "no", have joined the European Union despite the fact that the international problem remains unsolved. Moreover, according to Ankara, Brussels is not keeping the promise that if Turkey agreed with Annan’s plan the embargo and the international isolation of the northern Turkish Republic of Cyprus, which is recognized only by Ankara, would be alleviated. Another problem is the refusal of Turkey to withdraw its "peacekeeping" forces numbering 30,000 Turkish soldiers, arguing that the dividing line between the two parts de facto continues, so de jure Nicosia cannot administratively represent the entire island until a final international agreement is reached under the UN auspices. The formula that is widely discussed in Turkey implies a confederation under one flag and equal political representation for the Turkish part, possibly on a rotating basis. The Cyprus issue continues to be the biggest obstacle to the progress of the negotiations for Turkey, although the decision for starting them is not bound by the settlement of the Cyprus issue. At every international meeting, Turkey seeks to distinguish its membership in the European Union from the Cyprus issue. The European Commission expects Ankara to fulfil its commitments but it would mean a retreat from national interests, which Turkish society can interpret as a betrayal. Therefore, the AKP will probably not take such a move. The talks on the reunification of the island that have been recently resumed are conducted under the auspices of the UN rather than of the European Union, which is encouraging for Turkey. Turkish diplomacy has repeatedly declared that the Cyprus issue cannot be a bargaining chip for Turkey's membership in the European Union and that both sides have to make some compromises. The maximalist policy of Cyprus on the part of the Turkish Cypriots as members of the European Union will not lead to lasting peace and stability and will be the biggest obstacle to Turkey's European integration. The worst-case scenario is a formal division of the island into two states or the annexation of the Turkish part to Turkey. In view of the repeated failures of the negotiations between the two communities for decades, this option is not excluded, although it is undesirable.
- In May there will be elections for the European Parliament during which
the nationalist and Euro sceptic parties are  about to rise. What are the expectations of Turkey for after the elections? Does it intend to resume the negotiations? Is the European Union membership on the immediate agenda of the country?