By Xinhua
Ankara : Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said here Wednesday that EU should accept Turkey if it fulfills its obligations, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported on Thursday.
Karamanlis, who arrived in Ankara earlier Wednesday for a three-day official visit and he is the first Greek prime minister to visit Turkey in 49 years, made such remarks during a joint conference with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Reaffirming Greek support to Turkey’s bid to join the EU, the premier urged Ankara to fulfill its obligations in order to become a member of the EU.
Turkey’s responsibilities included a solution to the Cyprus problem, reopening of a Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox seminary that was shut down two decades ago, and expanding rights of religious minorities, said Karamanlis.
Referring to the Cyprus issue, the premier said that they aimed at reaching a fair, peaceful and permanent solution that would lead to reunification within the framework of UN Security Council resolutions and EU principles.
“Cyprus is an international problem and a solution to this problem would contribute to progress in Turkish-Greek relations. We are ready to provide all kinds of support for a permanent solution,” Karamanlis noted.
Meanwhile, he also urged Turkey to improve its relations with the internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot administration for its EU bid.
For his part, Erdogan said they have reached an agreement to pursue further talks on resolving territorial disputes in the Aegean Sea, adding that “I believe 2008 will present us with new opportunities in our bilateral ties.”
“I believe we can further improve our political, military, economic, commercial and cultural relations and cooperation,” said Erdogan, explaining that there were 24 confidence-building measures between Turkey and Greece and the two countries have signed 33 agreements and protocols to enhance their cooperation.
Touching on the Cyprus issue, Erdogan said that reunification talks in Cyprus should resume with a new impetus after elections in the Greek Cypriot part next month.
“I believe it is of great importance for negotiations to get started after the elections in southern Cyprus,” Erdogan expressed.