The debate that has found its reflection in the Declarations made by Turkey and the EU in relation to the extension of the acquis of the 1963 Ankara agreement to ten new EU members has created a tension in Turkey because the demands and interpretations expressed particularly in EU Declaration  to great measure do not correspond to the facts on ground.

This note aims at explaining these facts and introducing a realistic compromise solution.

Ever since the 1963 coup d’état organized by Archbishop Makarios who was then the President of the Republic of Cyprus, resulting in the expulsion of the Turkish members for state organs, the UN and other states continued to recognize the resulting Greek Administration as the Republic of Cyprus. Turkey, too, continued to recognize the same government until it became clear that the results of the coup would perpetuate. Instead, Turkey recognized the regimes of the Turkish community in the Island and after 1974 the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and severed all relations with the so-called Republic of Cyprus. In international for a although Turkey stated that it did not recognize the ‘’Republic of Cyprus’’ it did not challenge the presence of Greek Cypriots acting as representatives of the Cyprus Republic. In such organizations as the Council of Europe or OSCE and others, the Greek representatives and Turkish representatives participated in the work of these institutions. Furthermore, until 1998 Turkey allowed Greek Cypriot ships to use Turkish ports. The Greek Cypriots can visit Turkey with a visa that could be obtained at entry ports.

The extension of the the acquis resulting from the 1963 Treaty of Association between Turkey and EU to the Greek Cypriots has already been accepted by Turkey. In fact under the Athens Protocol of 2002 EU acquis is also applicable within the same area. Turkey has gone even further and has accepted to extend the acquis also to cover entire island of Cyprus.

From Turkish and UN perspectives there are two different entities in Cyprus and up to now the UN has been trying to solve the Cyprus issue on the basis of two Communities to be treated on ‘an equal footing’. Furthermore, the Annan Plan, also approved by EU, aimed at creating a Federal Republic of Cyprus to be based on two states in the island. Although the Republic of Northern Cyprus is not recognized by EU, it is a democratic, self administering Republic whose security is guarantied by Turkey under internationally recognized Treaties. Under these circumstances Turkey cannot be asked to recognize the Greek administration in the island as the ‘Republic of Cyprus’. However, when Turkey accepted to extend the Association conditions to ten new members it, in fact, extended the Association acquis to the same area where EU acquis is in effect. The result of this is, in effect, de facto recognition of the regimes which are sovereign in the areas where European acquis is implemented. Asking Turkey to recognize this entity in Cyprus as the Republic of Cyprus would be tantamount to recognizing to that regime, a sovereignty which it does not exercise over the entire island. Such a step by Turkey would also undermine the efforts of the United Nations to resolve the Cyprus question on the basis of treating both communities on an equal footing. Furthermore, such a recognition would enhance the Greek Cypriot thesis that Turks in the island are only a minority.

However, it is also true that the Greek entity in Cyprus to which Turkey has extended the acquis resulting from the 1963 agreement is a state sovereign in those areas of Cyprus that is under its own control, must hence, be recognized by Turkey with a name that reflects the prevailing situation in the Island. Such a name could be the ‘Republic of Southern Cyprus’ or the ‘Greek Cypriot Republic’. This would be no anomaly and there are examples of double names. For instance, Greece for many years refused to recognize the Republic of Macedonia and forced several international organizations to recognize that state as Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. There would be no anomaly if Turkey extends recognition to the so called Republic of Cyprus by its true name the Republic of Southern Cyprus or Greek Cypriot Republic.