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"A new negotiation process on Cyprus can only be carried out between the two states," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today (July 20) at a ceremony in Northern Cyprus marking the 47th anniversary of Turkey's military intervention in the island.
Turkey doesn't have "another 50 years to waste" on the Cyprus issue, he said, adding that proposals for a peaceful resolution of the issue are still on the table.
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"The Greek Cypriots could not wake up from the ignorance of seeing Turkish Cypriots as a minority and rejecting a solution on the basis of equality," the president said.
"We are right, and because we are right, we will defend our rights until the end," he remarked.
"No one should expect from Turkish Cypriots to give up their equal status and sovereignty, and to accept to live as a minority as per the will of the Greek Cypriots," he said, adding that the Turkish Cypriots will not compromise on their independence and freedom.
The latest round of Cyprus talks in Geneva that started in April was inconclusive as Turkey and the Northern Cyprus administration insisted on a two-state solution.
In early July, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc would never accept a two-state deal for the island.
Erdogan said the EU vowed to support Northern Cyprus in financial and administrative matters but hasn't done so.
"First of all, the sovereign equality and equal status of the Turkish Cypriots should be confirmed. This is the key to the solution," the Turkish president said.
On the Maraş (Varosha) town of the island, which was partially reopened to the public in 2020 after 47 years, Erdogan said the opening will be carried out with utmost attention to the property rights.
The Cyprus dispute
In the Republic of Cyprus, which was founded in 1960, both communities had the right of representation in all institutions (70 percent for Greeks and 30 percent for Turks). Cyprus has been divided since 1974. Two-thirds of the island is governed by Greeks. It is internationally recognized as the Republic of Cyprus and a member of the European Union. The northern part of the island, which is called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) by the Turks, is a country with a population of 300,000 and is only recognized by Turkey. Northern Cyprus reopened the abandoned town of Varosha (Maraş) before the first round of the election. |
(EMK/VK)
