Turkey says EU Cyprus demands unfair

(ANKARA) - Turkey accused the European Union of unfairness on Wednesday over demands Ankara open its ports and airports to Cypriots.

EU foreign ministers Tuesday criticised Turkey for missing a deadline to improve relations with Cyprus and decided to continue stalling the country's bid to join the 27-nation bloc.

The Turkish foreign ministry said Wednesday it was unfair to expect Ankara to make concessions on Cyprus while the EU maintained an embargo on the breakaway Turkish area of the Mediterranean island.

"It is clearly unfair to make demands of Turkey over the additional protocol while the decision taken by the European Council to lift the embargo on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has not been fully applied," the ministry said in a statement.

Turkey's comments came after the EU released a text on Tuesday criticising Ankara for not treating Cyprus in a "good neighbourly" way.

While Turkey avoided new sanctions, the EU statement left little doubt that the 2006 decision to freeze parts of accession talks could be extended if progress was not forthcoming.

That year the EU froze talks on eight of the 35 policy areas which nations must negotiate before full membership, over Turkey's failure to open its ports and airports to Cyprus.

Turkey argues the EU has failed to keep promises on easing the isolation of northern Cyprus.

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, whose government is the island's internationally recognised administration, 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.

Since starting EU membership negotiations in 2005, Ankara has opened talks only in 11 of the key policy areas.

Foreign Affairs Council