The accession of Cyprus to the EU and the day after

An international conference on “Cyprus Accession to the EU and the Day After” took place on Thursday and Friday, 20-21 May in Nicosia, organized by the Research and Development Center – Intercollege and the European Movement – Cyprus Council.

In his speech Britain’s High Commissioner in Cyprus Mr. Lynn Parker, referred to his country’s relations with the Republic of Cyprus in a range of fields and to the UK’s technical support during the accession negotiations. He added that he was looking forward to a furthering of cooperation between the two countries through the EU. On the Cyprus question, Mr. Parker conveyed the UK’s disappointment at the result of the referenda, but, as he put it, “We must be realistic and accept this result”. He also said that the UK favors “upgraded economic relations of the EU with the “North” as a measure for raising living standards and ending the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots”. Mr. Parker underlined that such measures would not have a negative influence on the process for achieving a solution to the Cyprus problem.

In his presentation, the Russian Ambassador to Cyprus Mr. Andrey A. Nesterenko analyzed his country’s position during the Security Council debate on the Annan Plan and the referenda. He pointed out that the Annan Plan did not take adequately into account the positions of both sides, and stressed that Russia considered its veto necessary so that the referenda would be carried out under normal circumstances and without any pressure. Mr. Nesterenko reiterated Russia’s position on the Cyprus problem which is that a solution should be based on the resolutions of the UN, which, he stressed, “are binding on all member states of the UN”. Finally, the Russian Ambassador made special mention of the very good relations between Russia and the Republic of Cyprus “that are going to be further developed after accession to the EU”.

In a paper entitled “US, EU and Turkey and Implications for the Cyprus Problem”, Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies Program at The Brookings Institution, USA, stressed that setting a date for the start of EU accession negotiations for Turkey would be very significant for the further democratization of the country, as well as for broader security and stability. She said that Cyprus would reap the benefits from this development, and also underlined that relations between the EU and Turkey would enhance prospects for the democratization of Turkey, contrary to the relations between Ankara and Washington, in which democracy has never been a priority.

The Rector of Intercollege, Professor Van Coufoudakis, said that the US bears a great share of the responsibility regarding the content of the Annan Plan and the way things turned out.  The US stance of favoring Turkey, he said, led to an unbalanced plan that the Greek Cypriots could not accept.

Costas Ifantis, Associate Professor of International Relations at Athens University, spoke about the impact of the accession of the Republic of Cyprus to the EU and of the voting down of the Annan Plan on Greek foreign policy. We have to study the new developments carefully, he said, because the time has come anyway for revisiting the strategy regarding the Cyprus question and Greco-Turkish relations, taking all the factors into account. He noted, however, that the further development of Euro–Turkish relations could well lead to a normalization of the situation in the Athens – Ankara – Nicosia triangle.

Farid Mirbagheri, Associate Professor of International Relations, Intercollege, in his presentation titled “The UN and the Cyprus Question: The Record and Future Prospects”, said that the UN has succeeded in maintaining peace and relative normality but has failed, up to now, to solve the problem.

The Director General of the Research and Development Center – Intercollege, Professor Andreas Theophanous, explained the reasons that led to the Greek Cypriots saying “no” in the referendum on the Annan Plan. “Given the one-sided character of the Annan Plan”, he underlined, “we must view as normal the rejection of the Annan Plan by 76% of the Greek Cypriots, and its acceptance by 65% of the Turkish Cypriots”. In his presentation he expressed the view that “with the accession of the Republic of Cyprus in the EU, the way is opened for achieving a European solution to the Cyprus question, which would combine the historic compromise of federation with European norms and principles”, in spite of the difficulties that might be encountered. He also stressed that the Republic of Cyprus has matured and is able to go forward without guarantor powers.

In his paper under the title “The Cyprus Question after April 24 and May 1, 2004: A Turkish–Cypriot View”, Mr. Ozdemir Ozgür, President of the Ihsan Ali Foundation, said that the Turkish Cypriots take the Greek-Cypriot “no” as a rejection. The Turkish Cypriots are looking forward to a new partnership with the Greek Cypriots and to EU accession”, he concluded.