WORLD NEWS | Turkish president unwavering in two-state policy to resolve ethnic divisions in Cyprus

NICOSIA, June 12 (AP) President Turkiye said Monday that any agreement to resolve nearly half a century of ethnic division in Cyprus must be based on recognizing the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in the island nation’s northern third.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks in the north during his first overseas trip after being re-elected last month were not new, but suggested Ankara’s policy line towards Cyprus remained firm despite international condemnation The proposal for a two-state agreement, which violates UN resolutions, calls for a single federal Cyprus.

Read also | Pakistan has reportedly started shipping discounted Russian crude to refineries in Karachi.

“Nobody can afford to waste another 50 years,” Erdogan told a joint news conference with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar.

“If it is to return to the negotiating table, the only way is to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.”

Read also | Austria: A woman has been detained after allegedly torturing her 12-year-old son by putting him in a dog crate and pouring cold water on him.

It also dashed hopes of a swift resumption of talks by Cyprus’ internationally recognized government, although a spokesman for President Nicos Anastasiades said on Monday that Erdogan would be judged by his actions rather than his words.

Cyprus split in 1974 when Turks invaded after a coup by supporters of a union with Greece.

Nearly a decade later, the Turkish Cypriots declared independence, but only the Turks, who have more than 35,000 soldiers and large armaments in the north, have recognized it.

UN-led peace talks have not resolved the dispute.

The most recent round of talks in July 2017 broke down over Turkey’s insistence on maintaining military intervention rights and a permanent presence under any new arrangement.

Another stumbling block was the rejection by the Greek Cypriots of the Turkish Cypriots’ demand for the right to veto all government decisions at the federal level.

Turkish Cypriots make up about a quarter of the Greek Cypriot population.

Turkiye and the Turkish Cypriots said there was no point in negotiating on the basis of a Cypriot federation, instead pushing for a two-state agreement as a new starting point. Greek Cypriots say they cannot agree to a deal that formalizes the country’s division.

“The just demands of the Turkish Cypriots are clear and unequivocal. The Turkish Cypriots have never been a minority and never will be,” Erdogan said.

Ankara will also press ahead with plans to provide electricity to Turkish Cypriots via undersea cables, the Turkish president said. The north has had chronic power supply problems for years.

The cable will complement the Turkiye, a 66.5-mile (107-kilometer) subsea pipeline built in 2015 to supply fresh water to the parched north.

The Cypriot government denounced the pipeline project as a means by Ankara to “enhance Turkish influence and control over Cyprus”. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)