Turkish Cypriot leader announces candidacy for 2015 election

NICOSIA – Anadolu Agency

Turkish Cypus' incumbent President Derviş Eroğlu.

Turkish Cypriot President Derviş Eroğlu has thrown his hat into the ring by announcing that he will run as an independent candidate in the country’s presidential election to be held in April 2015.

Eroğlu, who was previously elected as the Turkish Cypriot leader in 2010, became the first to announce his candidacy via a statement on Nov. 28.

He said he had carried out his duty with “honor and pride” and hoped to continue in the same way after 2015.

“I emerged from among you and walked with you. I am aware of your demands and your expectations of me as a president,” Eroğlu said.

He underlined that he was not only interested in the Cyprus issue during his term, but also focused on issues affecting children, women, education and health.

Eroğlu also referred to a joint declaration outlining how talks to resolve the dispute in Cyprus should move forward. The declaration was signed during Eroğlu’s term and recommends recognizing the equal status of the two states on the island, while aiming to bring the divided communities closer under a federated government.

While the European Union recognizes the Greek-Cypriot administration on the island, Turkey is the only state to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus diplomatically.

Negotiations between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots resumed after a two-year pause in February 2013. The previous round of talks had collapsed in 2012.

However, the Greek-Cypriot administration suspended the talks over the divided island on Oct. 7 this year, after Turkey sent a ship to monitor an oil-and-gas exploration mission off the coast of Cyprus.