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30 March, 2015Turkish Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkir, during a visit to Rome, said “to solve Cyprus problem is easier than to solve the issue of Syria and the crisis in Ukraine” in the seminar themed ‘Turkey in Europe. Difficulties and Opportunities’ organized by a major think tank organization in Italy, International Relations Institute (IAI).
Stating that Turkey considers Cyprus problem and EU membership as twin brothers, Bozkir said “Because both of them have 50 year-old history. They grow together. Turkey is overzealous to solve this problem. There are some parameters that both sides agreed before. For this reason, to solve Cyprus problem is easier than to solve the issue of Syria and the crisis in Ukraine. It is saddening to see that capital of the island is divided with a wall in the 25th anniversary of collapse of Berlin Wall”.
Reminding that a positive atmosphere for a solution was reached with the Annan plan in 2004, Bozkir added “If we solve the Cyprus problem, it will be an example for the other crisis.”
Bozkir stated that Turkey is the closest mainland to Cyprus and underlined that the natural resources around Cyprus belong to the island.
Concerning the relations with Greece Minister Bozkir stated that Greece with a high welfare will be for the benefit of Turkey.