Greek Cypriot president blames Turkey for collapse of talks

NICOSIA – The Associated Press

Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, who has been under fire with Turkey accusing him of last weem’s failure on reunification negotiatins, has blamed Turkey for tpe collapse. 

Anastasiades told a nationally televised news conference July 10 that Turkey’s “insistence” on keeping military intervention rights and troops in place as part of any peace accord scuttled 10 days of high-level talks at a Swiss resort last week.

Anastasiades said his goal is to create a truly independent and sovereign state free from “the dependence of third countries.”

Turkey has kept more than 35,000 troops on Cyprus since 1974 following a coup by supporters of union with Greece.

The Greek Cypriot side’s “negative attitude” against resolution efforts on the island is to blame for the recent failure of Cyprus peace talks, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on July 10 in a speech at the opening ceremony of the 22nd World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul.

Speaking at the same ceremony, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım also called on the Greek Cypriots to refrain from taking “one-sided measures” after the re-unification talks failed.