-TURKISH MINISTER-EU : Bagis says Turkey will not give up Cyprus for EU

ANKARA (A.A) - 26.01.2011 - Turkish State Minister & chief negotiator Egemen Bagis said that it was not Turkey which caused trouble in Cyprus, adding, "Turkey will not give up Cyprus for the European Union. And it will not give up the European Union for Cyprus."
In a televised interview with the state-run TRT News Channel, Bagis said, "we succeeded in changing international balances without withdrawing a single soldier from Cyprus. In the past, it was Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) which were accused of causing troubles in the island. As a result of our determined stance, the world has realized finally that it is the Greek Cypriot party which obstructed the solution, and that it is the Turkish party which tried its utmost to find a solution."    
"Turkey has been working hard to raise its standards to those in the European Union instead of trying to open new chapter headings which were not opened because of political obstacles. Actually, the European Union's need for Turkey has been increasing day by day while Turkey's need for the European Union has been decreasing," he added.