NICOSIA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus said on Wednesday it was pleased with an EU report on Turkey's accession process, which was, however, blasted as "hypocritical" by Ankara.
EU's report said Turkey is moving all the time away from the European Union, and thus it could not open more accession negotiations chapters or upgrade its Custom Union with Turkey unless Ankara meets European standards in various areas.
Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides told state television by phone from Luxembourg that "The text of the Conclusions on Turkey adopted by the EU General Affairs Council contains strong messages about Turkey's accession process and all its Cyprus related obligations."
In the report, the EU also called on Turkey to fulfill all of its Cyprus related obligations, including opening its ports to Cypriot shipping and allow Cypriot aircraft to fly over its territory and stop violations of Cyprus's sovereignty.
Turkey occupied part of Cyprus in 1974, in reaction to a coup by the military rulers of Greece at the time.
Christodoulides said the European Union report speaks clearly about Turkey's key role in efforts to solve the long standing Cyprus problem and reunify the island.
"For the first time in an EU conclusions text, Ankara's responsibility for the external aspects of the Cyprus problem, namely security and guarantees, is reflected," Christodoulides said.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry, however, said in a statement that "the EU's unjust and dishonest treatment of Turkey can be seen once again."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to send an envoy in the region in the coming days to probe the prospects of restarting the stalled peace negotiations to solve the Cyprus problem, one of the oldest international issues on the UN agenda.
