If Turkey really wishes to continue its EU accession course, it must comply with European principles, respect European law and the Law of the Sea, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said on Tuesday.
Asked on the sidelines of the 9th Mediterranean Forum on Oil and Gas in Nicosia about the Varna summit between the EU and Turkey, Anastasiades said that public statements both by Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker had been very clear.
Despite criticism from European governments of what many view as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s growing authoritarianism, EU leaders left the door open to Turkey’s stalled bid for membership to the bloc, but said only he could act to remove the obstacles to accession.
“I hope that eventually Turkey will realize that if it’s really interested, not for tactical reasons pretending that it wants to continue its accession course, it must also comply with European principles, values and with respect for international law and the Law of the Sea,” said Anastasiades.
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