EU Opened Talks with Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Union has formally opened accession talks with Turkey, despite a last-ditch objection from Cyprus. A first round of talks, on science and research, was concluded on day one of negotiations, sealing the first of 35 policy areas scheduled for discussion. Talks on all 35 "chapters" are expected to take about 10 years. Cyprus had asked the EU to press Turkey for official recognition and to open ports to Cypriot shipping, forcing the EU presidency to broker a late deal. Turkey had threatened to boycott the meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg unless Cyprus - divided since 1974 - agreed to compromise. Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plasnik, whose country holds the EU presidency, said concluding the first chapter was "not an easy matter".

"We've made a start, it's the first step along a path where every step will have to be approved by every EU member," she said. The EU did go some way towards accepting Cyprus' demands.



The EU text reminds Turkey that "failure to implement its obligations in full will affect the overall progress in the negotiations". Cypriot Foreign Minister George Iacovou described the debate over the first chapter as a "good loud and clear warning shot". The science and technology chapter of the talks are regarded as the easiest of the 35 policy areas, all of which need to be fulfilled for Turkey's membership bid to succeed, reported BBC.