Foreign Ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos on Thursday cited a response by Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis when asked to comment on the recent statements on Cyprus made by British Prime Minister Tony Blair during his visit to Turkey.

Koumoutsakos added that the progress on the Cyprus issue is made within the framework of the UN based on the relevant Security Council resolutions which are in effect and Great Britain, as a permanent member of the Security Council, has contributed toward reaching them.  

Bakoyannis had stressed that the EU leaders took a joint decision regarding Turkey that was binding for all EU member-states responding to statements made by Blair during his visit to Ankara last week calling for the immediate opening of new chapters in the accession talks with Turkey.

During a press conference held in Ankara, the British prime minister had called on Ankara to open its ports and airports to ships and planes from Cyprus but also urged the EU to "end the isolation of northern Cyprus".

Source: Athens News Agency

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