ISTANBUL
Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday reiterated support for a two-state solution on Cyprus, saying that ignoring the realities on the Eastern Mediterranean island would lead “nowhere.”
“We believe a federal solution is not possible in Cyprus,” Erdogan told at a commemoration ceremony soon after arriving on an official visit to Lefkosa, the capital of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Erdogan, whose visit marks the 50th anniversary of Türkiye’s Cyprus Peace Operation, also expressed Ankara’s readiness to negotiate, discuss, and ultimately achieve a lasting peace and solution on the Island.
He further stated that the Greek Cypriot side “clearly” showed it had “no intention” of sharing political power or natural resources with the island’s Turkish Cypriots.
“To date, the Turkish Cypriots and Türkiye have been the sincere parties striving for a solution, making sacrifices, taking risks, and showing their commitment,” the Turkish leader added.
The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.
In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983. July 20, the anniversary of the operation, is celebrated yearly in the TRNC as Peace and Freedom Day.
The Greek Cypriot administration was admitted to the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.
Türkiye fully supports a two-state solution on the island of Cyprus based on sovereign equality and equal international status.
