"Turkish ban on Cyprus ships constitutes biggest problem for registry
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The Turkish ban on Cypriot vessels is the number one problem for the Cypriot shipping industry, local press reported on Sunday.
The Cyprus Shipping Council (CSC) president Andreas Droussiotis was quoted as saying that the ban had caused hundreds of ships over the years to re-flag out of Cyprus and prevented hundreds of other ships from using the Cyprus Registry.
Droussiotis said the issue had now become a European one since Turkey signed the customs union protocol with the 10 new member states, including Cyprus.
The CSC president welcomed the EU's counter-statement in October last year that clearly said the embargo on Cypriot ships must be lifted within 2006."
More:People's Daily Online -- Turkish ban on Cyprus ships constitutes biggest problem for registry
