The Turco-Greek dispute and Turkey's relations with the European Union

Abstract

Turkish-European Union relations are strained by a number of conflicting issues, such as human rights, and the Turco-Greek dispute. Until the Helsinki Summit of 1999, Greece was the most vocal opponent of Turkey joining the EU and it appeared the single most difficulty in the way of Turkey’s accession to the EU. At the Helsinki Summit of 1999, Greece dropped its opposition, allowing Turkey to be declared by the EU as a candidate and this has changed the course of both the Turco-Greek and Turkey-EU relations. There is no doubt that all this heralded a new beginning in relations. But a closer examination of the Greek foreign policy towards Turkey seems to suggest that Greece’s expectations from Turkey with regard to Cyprus and the Aegean have not changed. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the connection between the two very important foreign policy issues of Turkey, namely the TurkeyEuropean Union relations and the Turco-Greek dispute and the role played by the Greek factor in Turkey-EU relations