Turkey will always choose Cyprus if it has to: Parliamentary Speaker

ANKARA

Turkey’s parliamentary speaker Cemil Çiçek. AA photo

Turkey will always choose Cyprus, if the European Union urges Ankara to choose between it and membership, a Turkish politician has said.

“Turkey will never go into such a pincer,” Cemil Çiçek, Turkey’s parliamentary speaker, told reporters today, meeting with his Turkish Cypriot counterpart, Hasan Bozer.

The EU has lost the charm it once had, Çiçek said, adding that they would welcome it if Turkey became a member of the union, since it would be in the interests of both sides.

He said Turkey had been “on the table” regarding the European Union for 50 years. “We always show good intentions, but can’t get a response. We no longer want to wait forever,” Çiçek said.

Turkey will continue to make reforms and make efforts for membership, but some circles in the EU have been trying to put an embargo on Ankara’s EU bid over the Cyprus issue, he added.