Erdogan: Cyprus issue blocked Turkey’s journey towards EU

The Cyprus issue “blocked” Turkey’s journey toward membership of the European Union, the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

“Recently, some damaging debates regarding Turkey’s position in Europe, again triggered by European actors, have been witnessed,” he said after the day’s cabinet meeting, before pointing out that Turkey first applied for association with the European Economic Community in 1959.

He said that in 1963, an agreement was signed for Turkey to join the EEC in three phases...