ANKARA: Talks to reunify the divided island of Cyprus are set to restart soon as diplomats eye a settlement to an issue that has long poisoned Turkey’s attempts to become a European Union member. The fate of the long-divided Mediterranean island remains one of the major stumbling blocks in Turkish-EU negotiations.
Turkey began accession talks in 2005 but has so far only agreed with the EU on one of the 35 negotiating chapters needed to gain entry, mainly due to the Cyprus row, as well as stiff opposition from some member states.
Brussels froze negotiations in 2006 on eight of the chapters following Ankara’s failure to open its ports to shipping from member Cyprus. “Cyprus remains the main obstacle on the road towards Turkey’s integration. Several chapters are blocked because of this issue,” a European diplomat said on condition of anonymity.
AFP
