Turkey threatens to freeze talks with EU over Cyprus presidency

Turkey will freeze its relations with the EU if Cyprus takes up the rotating presidency of the Union in the second half of 2012 as scheduled, stated Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Turkish PM stated that his country does not wish to hold diplomatic relations with the “so-called state” that it does not recognize.

Since the 1974 Turkish invasion on the island, Northern Cypus has been occupied by Turkey and is de facto independent from the rest of the territory, which has been a regular EU member state since 2005.