Turkey’s Erdogan, Cyprus president see different paths for divided island
Al Jazeera
Turkish leader says he sees no point in UN-led talks as Christodoulides declares reunification is the only way forward.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was in northern Cyprus to mark 50 years since the invasion by Turkish forces, has said he sees no point in continuing United Nations-led negotiations on the Mediterranean island’s future.
“We believe that a federal solution is not possible in Cyprus. It is of no benefit to anyone to say let’s continue negotiations where we left off in Switzerland years ago,” Erdogan said in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Saturday.
Northern Cyprus is a breakaway state recognised only by Turkey, and its Turkish Cypriot leadership wants international recognition.
Erdogan attended a military parade in north Nicosia to mark the day in 1974 when Turkey launched its offensive. Cyprus has since been split by ethnicity, with Greek and Turkish Cypriots living on either side of a UN-patrolled border.
Peace talks have long been stalled as Greek Cypriots want reunification as a federation and Turkish Cypriots have called for a two-state settlement. The last round of talks, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, collapsed in 2017.
