Cypriot President pledges to block EU refugee deal with Turkey unless Ankara grants divided island new rights

Cyprus threatens proposed 'one-for-one' swap deal, due to be agreed at the EU summit in Brussels

"Cyprus does not intend to consent to the opening of any new chapters if Turkey does not fulfil its obligations," Mr Anastasiades said after meeting EU Council President Donald Tusk in Nicosia. (REUTERS/Petros Karadjias/Pool)

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has pledged to block the European Union's planned refugee deal with Turkey unless Ankara grants the divided island new rights.

"Cyprus does not intend to consent to the opening of any new chapters if Turkey does not fulfil its obligations," Mr Anastasiades said after meeting EU Council President Donald Tusk in Nicosia.

Cyprus is threatening the proposed "one-for-one" swap deal, due to be agreed at an EU summit in Brussels, which involves sending Syrians who land in Greece back to Turkey, while at the same time resettling Syrians directly from Turkish refugee camps.

Mr Anastasiades said Cyprus would block the plans, “without implementation of Turkey's long-pending obligations" in its EU membership bid. He said Ankara must finally formally recognize the Cyprus government, stop referring to it as “defunct”, and open up its ports and airports.

The planned €6 billion deal would speed up talks on Turkey’s bid to join the EU, as well as lift visa rules for Turks travelling to the EU. But Mr Anastasiades said that reopening Turkey’s membership bid could wreck the separate talks with Turkish Cypriots on reunifying the island, which has been divided since Turkish troops invaded its northern half in 1974.

Other countries have also raised concerns about the deal. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo said the return of refugees to Turkey from Greece is “not acceptable and illegal under international law.” Mr Tusk, who will chair the summit, admitted the agreement with Turkey still needs to be “rebalanced” before it will be acceptable to all 28 EU members.

Human Rights Watch appealed to leaders to reject the deal, saying it is “legally, morally, and politically wrong, and if implemented would signal a stark repudiation of international law and the very values on which the European Union was founded.”