Erdogan visits divided Cyprus, calls for two-state solution
Nov. 15, 2020
Drawing a rebuke from the international community, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday called for an equal “two-state” solution in divided Cyprus during a visit to the Turkish-held breakaway north of the island.
Erdogan also said Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot community in northern Cyprus would no longer tolerate what he called “diplomacy games” in an international dispute over rights to offshore resources in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Cyprus has been divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974 with only Ankara recognising Northern Cyprus as an independent state.
Ankara does not have diplomatic relations with the internationally-recognised government of Cyprus, which is a member of the European Union. United Nations-mediated peace talks on Cyprus broke down in 2017.
Read more at in-cyprus.philenews.com
Erdogan’s visit to Turkish-held Famagusta on Sunday strongly condemned
Nov. 14, 2020
The government and displaced inhabitants of Famagusta have strongly condemned Sunday’s planned visit to Varosha of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to ‘celebrate’ the unilateral declaration of independence of breakaway north Cyprus.
Erdogan will provocatively go to the fenced part of Varosha in Famagusta for a ‘picnic’ after Ankara and the new Turkish Cypriot leader opened the ‘ghost-town’ to visitors last month.
EU-member Cyprus is divided since a 1974 invasion by Turkey which still maintains troops in the northern part. The UDI took place in 1983.
“The presence of the President of Turkey in celebrations for the 37th anniversary of the proclamation of the pseudo-state, as well as his visit to the besieged city of Famagusta, constitute an unprecedented provocation,” Government Spokesman Kyriacos Koushos said in a written statement on Saturday.
“These actions are also in complete contradiction with UN Security Council resolutions 550 and 789,” he added.
Read more at in-cyprus.philenews.com
