Turkish membership : threatened by the Cyprus issues?

Abstract

The West has always been prejudiced against the Turks, but we Turks have always consistently moved towards the West' In line with Kemal Ataturk's statement above, ('Turkey in Europe: more than a Promise?', Report of the Independent Commission on Turkey, September 2004), describes Turkey's turbulent path towards EU membership. For the founders of modem Turkey, the transition from the theocratic-oriented Ottoman Empire to a modern, secular Turkish Republic was to be achieved through 'Westernization', a transformation process which embodied Turkish aspirations for eventually integration into Western civilization. For Kemal Ataturk, this meant becoming a part of Europe. During the negotiating process, which started on the 3rd October 2005, Turkey may stumble in the Copenhagen Criteria - criteria to which every candidate country has to comply before entering the EU club. Besides these rigid criteria, Turkey has to contend with the Cyprus issue which inevitably will be a thorn on its side during negotiations. This, together with its refusal to recognise the Republic of Cyprus, one of the EU member states since 2004. This refusal, resulting from the yet unsolved Cyprus dispute, can create complications, which can induce member states to reconsider Turkey's accession, even if it complies to the Copenhagen Criteria.