Bagis: "Turkey is ready for any contingency on Cyprus"

Turkey is ready for any contingency on the Cyprus issue, Turkey's Chief European Union Talks Negotiator Egemen Bagis told Greek Cypriot daily Simerini in an article published yesterday. "Turkey is ready for any outcome that might emerge; a comprehensive solution, an indirect solution, a deadlock or a new crisis,' he explained. "Turkey's EU process doesn't hinge on the Cyprus issue, and Turkey doesn't take such threats (from the EU) well." Bagis added that Turkey will only open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot vessels if the EU honors the promises it made to lift the embargo on Northern Cyprus, saying, "Is Europe ready to keep its word and implement the resolutions it made? Is it ready to start direct trade with Turkish Cypriots and land its planes at Ercan Airport?" Bagis said Turkey has a contingency plan if ongoing talks on Cyprus again fail. "Turkey always has a plan B, C and D," he explained. "We're ready for anything. Turkey has achieved an 11 percent economic growth rate. It has built roads, hospitals and schools. It increased its per capita income in the last eight years. And it did all this without the EU." He said Turkey has made significant progress in its EU membership bid, adding that Europe had seen its credibility shaken by failing to fulfill the commitments it made to Turkey.