Cyprus: EU opposes peace deal giving Turks key freedoms
NICOSIA, Cyprus — European Union member states have rejected Turkey’s demand that its citizens be granted the freedom to relocate and transfer money, services and goods to EU member Cyprus under any deal reunifying the ethnically divided island, the Cypriot president said Saturday.
Nicos Anastasiades said all EU leaders consider it a “bad precedent” for Cyprus or any other country to breach bloc rules and grant such key freedoms to third-country citizens.
“This matter concerns the whole of the European Union, not just Cyprus,” Anastasiades said.
Turkey said in January that any Cyprus peace deal should incorporate such a condition. But Greek Cypriot officials fear such a development would enable Turkey to overwhelm the small island of 1.1 million people economically, demographically or otherwise.