“Everyone should know the existing window of opportunity on Cyprus will not always be open. The North Cyprus Turkish side is working for peace and solutions against all injustices. It’s not bearable anymore,” Erdogan said in a speech at a military parade in northern Cyprus to mark the anniversary of Turkey’s invasion.
“An urgent and permanent solution to the Cyprus problem should not be sacrificed for daily political interests and poisonous prejudices,” he told thousands of supporters waving Turkish and northern Cypriot flags.
Turkey is the only country to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as a separate state. The internationally recognized Greek Cypriot state is a member of the European Union, which Turkey wants to join.
Erdogan said Turkey will freeze relations with the EU if Cyprus assumes the six-month rotating presidency without a deal.
“In case the Greek side takes over the EU presidency in 2012 without a solution to the Cyprus issue, I am saying clearly that Turkey’s relations with the EU will be completely frozen,” he said. The EU is Turkey’s largest trading partner.
Turkish officials say Ankara would still deal with the EU Commission and other EU bodies, and that trade between Turkey and the bloc would not be affected.
On a visit to Nicosia earlier this month, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu voiced hope that Greek and Turkish Cypriots would negotiate terms for reunification to be put to a referendum early next year.
Turkish Cypriots voted for reunification under terms brokered by the United Nations in 2004, but Greek Cypriots voted against it. There is now fresh momentum to find a solution.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon concluded a meeting with leaders of the Greek and Turkish Cypriots in Geneva this month by saying he expected to overcome their differences by October.
Both sides have agreed in principle to reunite Cyprus as a two-zone federation, but remain at odds over redrawing boundaries and settling property claims by thousands uprooted in the conflict.
Turkey began formal talks on joining the EU in 2005 but is frustrated by the slow progress made so far. Aside from Cyprus, core EU members France and Germany both have major concerns about letting Muslim Turkey join the 27-member bloc.
Out of 35 chapters — policy areas of EU law — Turkey has completed one, 12 are under discussion and 18 have been frozen by Cyprus and France.
