Erdogan rejects Cyprus reunification
Fifty years ago, Turkish troops landed in the north of Cyprus. Today, the Greek Cypriot south of the island hopes for reunification. However, under the current Turkish President, this cannot happen.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected talks for Cyprus reunification on the 50th anniversary of his country's invasion of the Mediterranean island. "We believe that a federal solution on Cyprus is not possible," Erdogan said at an event in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the part of the island occupied by Turkey since 1974.
It would be "of no use" to resume the last, United Nations-mediated talks on a Cyprus reunification that were broken off in 2017, Erdogan added. Turkey is willing to negotiate "permanent peace and a solution," but the Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot sides must "sit at the table as equals."
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, proclaimed in 1983, nine years after the Turkish invasion, is recognized only by Turkey worldwide. In 2021, Erdogan stated that he would not allow a continued division of Cyprus into a Turkish North and a Greek South.
Cyprus President sees "no other option"
The President of the Greek Cypriot Republic in the southern part of the island confirmed, on the sidelines of the commemorative events, his desire for Cyprus reunification. "There is no other option for the Cyprus people but reunification," Nikos Christodoulides said after participating in the anniversary celebrations of the political division of the country.
The commemorative events mark the 20th of July 1974, when the first Turkish troops landed in the north of Cyprus. The Turkish government justified the invasion with the protection of the Turkish minority. Before that, Greek Cypriot military officers, with the support of the then military junta in Greece, had forced the removal of the Orthodox Archbishop Makarios from the presidency of the Republic of Cyprus. Their goal was the union of the island with Greece, which the Turkish-speaking population fiercely resisted.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the current Turkish President, expressed his opposition to Cyprus reunification talks on the anniversary of Turkey's invasion of the Mediterranean island. "We believe that a federal solution on Cyprus is not possible," Erdogan stated during an event in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Despite Erdogan's stance, the President of the Greek Cypriot Republic in the southern part of the island, Nikos Christodoulides, expressed his hope for reunification. "There is no other option for the Cyprus people but reunification," Christodoulides said after attending commemoration events marking the anniversary of the Turkish invasion.
