* Turkey Agrees To Customs Union With New EU Members
The Turkish government announced on Tuesday that it had written to the European Commission signalling its readiness to extend its customs union with the EU to the ten new member states, including Cyprus.
The signing of the protocol was a key pre-condition to Turkey's accession talks with the European Union, and means that the entry negotiations can now commence on October 3.
The EC announced earlier this week, however, that:"The signing of the protocol is not a legal and formal recognition of the Republic of Cyprus (by the Turkish authorities)."
The Cypriot government is hopeful that the protocol will allow Cypriot aircraft to enter Turkish airspace, and Cyprus-registered ships to enter Turkish ports. However, in a televised speech earlier this week, Turkish Foreign Minister, Abdullah Gul argued that the agreement covered only the free movement of goods, and did not require the opening of ports and airports to Cyprus, an announcement likely to cause problems for Turkey in its quest for EU membership.
The protocol remains to be ratified by the Turkish and European Parliaments.
