Greece has offered to recognise Turkey as a candidate for EU membership

Date: 15/07/1999

provided that Ankara allows the divided island of Cyprus to join the Union unimpeded. Greece's Alternate Foreign Minister Yannos Kranidiotis said this week that Athens could accept Turkey's membership bid if Ankara gave a guarantee that it would not block Cyprus' entry into the Union. Athens would also request assurances of support from other EU member states in disputes with Turkey over small islands in the Aegean Sea. Turkey has previously warned it would regard a decision to allow the island to join without settling its status as a provocation.