Overall , the conflict of hydrocarbons between Turkey , Greece and Cyprus deteriorates the stability of the southeastern fronts of the EU . As the exploration for hydrocarbons continues off the coast of the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey continues to be isolated from regional projects , the tense situation will continue in the Eastern Mediterranean , occasionally causing crises . In order to contain Turkey ’ s aggressive actions , the EU should utilize other mechanisms ( e . g . conditionality ) than sanctions as it did in the second half of the 1990s and early 2000s .
Conclusion
This study aimed to understand how the Cyprus conflict impacted the EU- Turkey relations and Turkey ’ s EU accession process , analyzing the conflict and its impact since 1960 . Based on the analysis of documents , reports , protocols and statements made by different officials , generally , it can be inferred that the Cyprus conflict played and continues to play a crucial role in the EU-Turkey relations determining the direction of the relations .
The analysis of developments demonstrated that the impact of the Cyprus conflict can be divided into three time periods : 1 ) 1960-1974 , when the conflict had no influence on the EEC-Turkey relations and the main factors were domestic politics and the developments in the country considering the 1960 and 1971 coup d ’ etats ; 2 ) 1974-1979 , when after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus , the EEC limited itself by just condemning the invasion and nothing else . So , in these two periods , the Cyprus conflict had no tangible impact on Turkey-EU relations . The last period began in 1980 and continues till today . Starting from 1982 , the Cyprus problem gradually began to be incorporated in almost all documents and reports issued by the EC / EU . As a result , the resolution of the conflict became a precondition for Turkey ’ s accession process .
The analysis demonstrated that despite criticizing and condemning the link between Cyprus and the accession process , Turkey , to some extent , conformed to the conditions imposed by the EU . The Özal government ’ s economic reforms , the harmonization packages and reforms enabled Turkey to comply with the EU acquis . However , one of the substantial conditions was the Cyprus conflict to which Turkey never fully adapted . Despite the fact that due to EU conditionality Greece lifted its veto , the Customs Union agreement was reached , and accession negotiations started between Turkey and the EU , Turkey did not abandon the Cyprus conflict as its “ national cause ”.
The EU conditionality also enabled Turkey to deal with the Greek impediment while moving towards the EU . The conditionality and “ compromise for every compromise ” approach imposed by the EU both on Turkey and Greece enabled the 60