Slovenia, the current EU president, on Tuesday pledged support to Turkey's progress in the lengthy, multi-step EU accession talks.
Slovenian parliamentary speaker France Cukjati assured his Turkish counterpart Koksal Toptan in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana that Slovenia would do everything in its power to speed up the talks between Turkey and the European Union, the Slovenian news agency STA reported.
"We are friends," Cukjati said at a joint press conference with Toptan.
Toptan said that Turkey is ready to open three new chapters in accession talks with the 27-nation bloc, and hopes to do so before the end of Slovenia's term as EU president in late June this year.
Turkey launched accession talks with the European Union in October 2005 and has so far opened six out of 35 customary chapters, while negotiations on eight chapters have been suspended since the end of 2006 due to Turkey's refusal to grant trade privileges to EU member Cyprus, which Ankara does not recognize.
Toptan said Turkey would find it hard to remove its embargo on southern Cyprus while the European Union maintained an embargo on the northern part of the divided island.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey militarily intervened and occupied the north of the island following a coup by a group of Greek officers.
In 1983, the Turkish Cypriot authorities declared breakaway and set up "the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which is recognized only by Turkey.
Turkey has been unwilling to open its air and sea ports to Cypriot planes and ships. It also refuses to extend its customs union with the European Union to Cyprus until the bloc has lifted its embargo on the northern part of Cyprus.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article