A two-state solution needs to be negotiated in Cyprus on the basis of sovereign equality, Turkey’s president said on Sunday.
“THIS STEP IS MEANT TO ELIMINATE EXISTING GRIEVANCES, NOT CREATE NEW ONES”
“There are two different people and two separate states in Cyprus. The 2-state solution needs to be negotiated on the basis of sovereign equality,” said Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, speaking at a ceremony on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’s (TRNC) 37th anniversary.
Turkish Cypriots are the only victims in the Cyprus issue and have been ignored for years as their rights were usurped, Erdoğan stressed.
Ankara’s priority is to reach a sustainable solution in Cyprus and ensure the legitimate rights and security of Turkish Cypriots, he added.
On the recent partial reopening of the abandoned town of Maraş in the Turkish Cypriot city of Gazimagusa, Erdoğan said this step was meant to eliminate existing grievances, not create new ones.
Speaking at the ceremony, Erdoğan said: “We wouldn’t have completed this hospital in as short a time as 45 days if our hearts were not united with the TRNC,” he added.
Citing Turkey’s support for the TRNC, Erdoğan pointed out that Ankara had provided 149 million Turkish liras ($19 million) in aid to the country during the novel coronavirus pandemic. “We came to our brothers’ aid in Northern Cyprus from the very beginning of the pandemic. We provided all kinds of support in the field of health,” he said.
He went on to say that a 500-bed hospital would also soon be opened in the TRNC.