Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

A number of resolutions were issued by the European Parliament, one as recently as March 2009, that noted the concern of "the continuous slow down of the reform process and called on Turkey to prove its political will to continue the reform process". It particularly stressed the need to reach a solution regarding Cyprus.

There is a legitimate concern about the fact that Turkey as an accession country does not technically recognise the Republic of Cyprus, which is a member state of the European Union. Repeatedly, the European Council, the European Commission and in particular the European Parliament have expressed serious concern about this. There appears to be a deadlock and a significant lack of progress on this issue. Will the Minister provide the House with a more comprehensive view of the Government's position on Cyprus?

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