Turkey could open ports to Cyprus: report

(ISTANBUL) - Turkey is ready to open its ports to Cyprus if international traffic is allowed access to harbours on the island's breakaway Turkish north, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Friday.

"We want to lift all borders on Cyprus. We are ready to open Turkish ports to Greek Cypriots," he was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as telling a meeting of parliamentarians from EU and Mediterranean countries.

Turkey would take that step if two sea ports -- Famagusta and Kyrenia -- as well as Ercan airport in the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), are opened to international traffic and trade, the minister added.

"The world will open three ports for Turkish Cypriots and we will open all Turkish ports to Greek Cypriots. I promise," Davutoglu said.

Turkey is obliged under a trade pact with the European Union to open its ports to Cyprus, an EU member represented by the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government in the island's south that Ankara does not recognise.

But it has refused to do so until the EU moves on a pledge to ease the international isolation of the TRNC, which is recognised only by Turkey.

Turkey's position prompted the EU in 2006 to freeze Ankara's accession talks in eight of the 35 policy areas, known as chapters, which candidate countries must successfully negotiate prior to membership.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey occupied the north in response to an Athens-engineered coup in Nicosia aimed at uniting the island with Greece.

Turkey is bitter that the Greek Cypriots were admitted into the EU in 2004 despite voting down a UN peace plan, while the Turkish Cypriots -- who gave the plan overwhelmingly support -- were left out in the cold.

Ankara began EU membership talks in 2005, but has so far opened negotiations in only 12 policy chapters.

Besides the row on Cyprus, Turkey's bid has been slowed down by Ankara's sluggish pace of reform as well as opposition from some EU-member states to allow such a large and largely Muslim nation into the bloc.