ISTANBUL: Two UK government ministers have called for Turkey to lift its ban on Cyprus-flagged vessels or those with Cypriot connections from calling at Turkish ports.
“As part of its EU accession process, Turkey is obligated under the Ankara Protocol to open its ports to Cypriot vessels – something it has yet to do,” wrote Phillip Hammond, UK secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs, and David Lidington, the UK Foreign Office’s Europe minister, in a letter addressed to north London Conservative MPs.
“The UK continues to urge Turkey to meet all the conditions for its accession including on this issue, and will continue to do so,” the letter continued, according to Cyprus News Agency reports. An end to Turkish port restrictions would be of economic benefit to both countries, said the ministers, both of whom have a close relationship with Turkey.
