[Cyprus Times] General Affairs Council: Turkey's accession process at a standstill. Reports on Cyprus and Varosha.

Turkey continues to move further and further away from the European Union and the accession process is at a standstill, concludes the section on the country in the conclusions on enlargement adopted by the General Affairs Council (GAC), which met in Brussels on Tuesday

The Council also calls on Turkey to stop all threats and actions that harm good neighbourly relations, to normalise relations with the Republic of Cyprus and to respect the sovereignty of all EU member states over their territorial waters on the basis of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.Turkey

is further called

"to fulfil its obligations under the Negotiating Framework, including the full, non-discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Agreement Association to all Member States", while the Council "reiterates that the recognition of all Member States is essential".It also reiterates its commitment to a comprehensive

settlement

of the Cyprus issue and stresses that Turkey's commitment and contribution to a peaceful settlement process is vital "on the basis of a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, in accordance with all relevant provisions of UNSC resolutions and in line with the principles on which the EU is founded and its acquis."

The

conclusions also refer to the unsuccessful outcome of the informal meeting in Geneva in April 2021, while the Council condemns Turkey's unilateral actions in Varosha.

Regarding broader relations, the Council recalls the European Council conclusions of March 2021, which noted the EU's strategic interest in stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean and the development of a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey.As noted, in its previous conclusions the European Council "welcomed the de-escalation of the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, stressing that this should be maintained, and reiterated the EU's readiness to engage with Turkey in a gradual, proportionate and reversible manner in several areas of common interest, subject to the conditions set by the members of the European Council on 25 March 2021, and in previous European Council conclusions".It adds that the Council "remains committed to maintaining an open and frank dialogue, addressing common challenges and cooperating in key areas of common interest, such as migration, public health, climate, counter-terrorism and regional issues" and notes the recent resumption of the EU-Turkey High Level Dialogues and the country's ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The Council further welcomes Turkey's "continued significant efforts to accommodate and address the needs of nearly 4 million refugees" and notes that the 2016 Joint Statement "continues to deliver results". It recalls, however, that in its October 2021 conclusions, the European Council "called on Turkey to ensure full and non-discriminatory implementation of the 2016 EU-Turkey Joint Declaration, including vis-à-vis the Republic of Cyprus."Effective border management "and the resumption of returns" continue to be a priority, while "full and effective implementation of the EU-Turkey readmission agreement and cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs with all EU Member States p "Civil society and its organisations are under constant pressure in an increasingly difficult environment," it stresses."The systemic lack of independence and undue pressure on the judiciary cannot be accepted, nor can the ongoing restrictions, arrests, imprisonment and other measures targeting journalists, academics, members of political parties, including MPs, lawyers, members of human rights organisations, social media users and others exercising their fundamental rights and freedoms," it underlines.The Council also calls on Turkey to reverse negative trends and address shortcomings with regard to the integrity of the electoral process and the targeting of the opposition, and to implement ECHR judgments concerning it.It also recalls the need for Turkey to respect its obligations regarding the implementation of the Customs Union "by ensuring its effective implementation in relation to all Member States".It also records the Council's concern that Turkey's foreign policy "increasingly conflicts with EU priorities in the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, including regarding Libya and Operation Irene" and calls on the country to contribute positively to the resolution of regional crises.Source: CNA

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