Turkey to Freeze EU Ties if Cyprus Gets EU Presidency

Turkey to Freeze EU Ties if Cyprus Gets EU Presidency

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister for Cyprus affairs Besir Atalay states in the event the European Union provides southern Cyprus the rotating EU presidency in 2012, Turkey will freeze relations with the bloc.Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency transponder keys  quoted Atalay late Saturday as declaring that Ankara is supporting Dervis Eroglu, the president of Turkish republic of northern Cyprus for that position.Atalay mentioned if the EU presents the rotating presidency to southern Cyprus, there will be a real crisis between Turkey and also the EU, and relations would come to a sudden halt.The internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot govt is due to tackle the six-month rotating EU presidency subsequent July.Greek Cypriots symbolize the island internationally, while Turkey will be the only nation to acknowledge the Turkish Cypriot cutting machine state. The island of Cyprus was break up within a 1974 Turkish invasion induced by a Greek-inspired coup. Turkish Cypriots reside in its north and Greek Cypriots inside the south. Some info for this report was provided by Reuters.