President Nicos Anstasiades has sent a message to EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker in protest of the Turkish demands to be allowed access to the four basic freedoms of the union, Simerini newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The newspaper has learnt that President Anastasiades is still awaiting Juncker’s response to the matter.
TURKEY HAS SET PRE-CONDITIONS
The President has said: “Nonetheless, the Turkish side has now emphatically set as a pre-condition for the continuation of discussions on the vital chapter of security and guarantees, its demand for extending to Turkey the four fundamental of the EU (free movement of goods, capital, services, and people), which form the cornerstone of the EU architecture and EU membership, through the comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.”
President Anastasiades has also emphasised to Juncker that Ankara’s demands do not only concern Cyprus but the whole EU at large, and that the pre-condition “requires our immediate collective attention.”
FREE MOVEMENT OF PERSONS
In the letter, the President also refers to the free movement of persons, which would in essence affect the demographic character of the island.
“In particular, on the free movement of persons the Turkish demand is for free movement of Turkish citizens to Cyprus, including the free movement of workers, which would open the possibility for the granting of permanent residences to Turkish nationals. As I am certain you can appreciate such a development would have enormous consequences, both for a reunited Cyprus and the demographic character of the country, and for the rest of the EU,” the letter read.
FREE MOVEMENT OF GOODS
On the free movement of goods, the President said that the demand would endanger the Cypriot economy, due to the fact that the Turkish economy is larger, and the fact that Turkey is seeking unrestricted movement of its products into the occupied areas.
The President has highlighted that Ankara’s demands would be a dangerous precedent for Cyprus, the EU, and other member states.
He has requested the support of the EU Commission President in dealing with these issues.
A meeting between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot negotiators, scheduled for Tuesday, was cancelled on Monday after the Turkish Cypriot side requested the UN cancel the meeting.
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