Turkey blames Greek Cyprus for failing to bring new vision

GENEVA

Turkey and Turkish Cyprus have blamed Greek Cyprus for failing to introduce a new vision for ending the stalemate on the island as a result of a two-day-long U.N.-led conference in Geneva, underlining they will continue to work for a two-state solution.

“We will continue to support the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ vision and proposal for a two-state solution based on sovereign equality in a very strong way,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told a joint press conference with Turkish Cyprus President Ersin Tatar after the talks in Geneva.

Greek Cyprus repeated the arguments they raised during the failed Crans-Montana talks in 2017 and expressed their hesitancy in sharing power with the Turkish Cypriots, Çavuşoğlu stated, informing that Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades rejected U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ proposals too.

Turkey has supported Guterres’ decision to postpone the meetings, he said, adding Turkey would endure this position in the coming period.

Tatar, for his part, criticized Greek Cyprus’ long-term strategy that did not see the Turkish Cypriots as equal partners and underlined that they would not abandon the two-state solution based on sovereign equality.

“It’s not meaningful to start the formal talks before our equal status is recognized,” he said.