The information that has reached our Ministry on the EU Foreign Ministers General Affairs Council meeting held in Luxembourg on 27 April, as well as the remarks made by Mr. Robin Cook, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, the President-in-Office of the EU, and Mr. Pangalos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, during their press conferences have been examined.

It is reported that the contents of the "communication" prepared by the Commission to enhance relations with Turkey were generally supported at the meeting. Yet, it is understood from Foreign Minister Pangalos's statement that Greece insists on not lifting its ongoing veto over the financial cooperation package which is an inseparable component of the Customs Union Decision.

As conceded in the Commission's "communication", the strategy envisaged for Turkey can be implemented only ifthe obstacle before financial cooperation is removed. Therefore, in view of the statement made once again by Greece, which is observed to be sustaining its hostile attitude towards Turkey, that it will maintain its veto over the financial cooperation package, the issue of how the strategy document will be put into effect remains ambiguous.

Turkey wishes its relations with the European Union to return to their normal course, and deems it useful to emphasize once again on this occasion that this can be realized within a framework which has pacta sunt servanda as its basic principle.