Shakhin E. EU-Turkish Relations Shortly Before the 1999 Helsinki Summit. The Cyprus Dispute and the Results of the Summit.

Abstract: The article considers the development of relations between Turkey and the EU after the 1997 EU Luxembourg summit and until the 1999 Helsinki summit. To create an objective image, the author shortly analyses different documents and reports of the EU Summits that defined the position of the community regarding the relations with the Turkish republic. The subject of the article is th evolution of the EU-Turkish relations during the certain period (December 1997 - December 1999). The object of the articles are the political aspects that define the nature of these relations (the Cyprus dispute, decisions published in the summit documents, position of Greece, position of the USA, etc.). Methodologically the research is based on analysis. The author analises EU-Turkish relations. The article also considers realted aspects that define the nature of relations between these two political actors. Methodologically the author relies on the principle of historicism. The author follows the emergence and development of the studied phenomena and events taking into account a certain historical situation. This allows to consider the development process in a historical retrospective. Finally, the author draws a conclusion that the Helsinki Summit was a pivotal point for the EU-Turkish relations. In the presidency conclusions adopted at the end of the Summit, Turkey was called a candidate country to become a full-fledged member of the EU. These developments significantly improved the relations between Turkey and the community. At that moment it allowed to overcome the divisions created by the decisions of the previous Summits (particularly the desicion of the Luxembourg Summit in 1997). A special author's contribution into the research is the fact that he in detal analyses decisions and documents of the EU Summits, and also analyses the impact of these desicions on the evolution of relations between Turkey and the European Union. 

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