Erdogan alleges that Cyprus could not become a member of the EU because of the division of the island caused by the Turkish occupationTurkish Cypriot daily Haberdar newspaper (27.07.12) reports that Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has alleged that the European Union could not accept “south Cyprus”, as he described the Republic of Cyprus, as member under the name of Cyprus, because “there is a Green Line in the middle” and “south Cyprus has not any possession in northern Cyprus”.

Responding to questions of Kanal 24 television yesterday, Erdogan accused former French President Nikola Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel of dealing a blow to Turkey’s accession course to the EU. He argued that his country exerts great efforts for joining the EU and is ready on all chapters.

Erdogan went on and alleged that the EU member states are not in line with the acquis communautaire in many aspects, the most important of which is Cyprus. He claimed, inter alia, the following: “You cannot accept south Cyprus as Cyprus, because there is a Green Line in the middle. South Cyprus has not any possession in northern Cyprus. Your stance against this is also important. We are exhibiting our stance. Why? Because this is the stance which this nation deserves. We cannot be defeated. However, our ministry regarding the EU is working very well now. It has established its entire institutional structure and is continuously going around all countries and explaining?”