The European Union and Turkey have provisionally agreed to accelerate membership and visa liberalization negotiations in exchange for Ankara helping Europe in resolving the current migrant crisis.
Both parties have agreed on a one-for-one exchange plan worth six billion euros according to which Turkey announced its readiness to take back all undocumented migrants that had arrived in the European Union and send in their place documented Syrian refugees.
However, the newspaper doubts that this plan can be successfully implemented because one veto from any EU country is enough to block the initiative completely. One of the most severe opponents of this plan could be Cyprus.
"It is unlikely that any other country would so strongly resist the liberalization of the visa regime for Turks or even its accession to the EU as this small country in the Mediterranean region," the newspaper wrote.
After Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 and occupied almost 40% of its territory (the step is viewed as illegal under international law), the relations between both countries have remained more than strained for nearly four decades.
"Even now President Nicos Anastasiades warns that without Ankara's concessions, his country would not agree to the extension of negotiations on Turkey's accession to the EU. First, Turkey must fulfill ‘its long-standing commitment" toward Cyprus,'" the newspaper wrote, referring to the island's leader.
The newspaper stressed that the new plan is very shaky and doubts that the EU countries will be able to implement it.
"It is unclear how the plan should be ratified if only one veto is enough to make it fail," the article concluded.
