On October 26, following a quarrel with Macron, Turkish President Erdogan once again made a startling statement. In response to the disputed Cyprus issue with the European Union, he said that it is time to support a two-state solution. Northern Cyprus is currently controlled by the so-called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”, and Erdogan hopes to make it internationally recognized.
According to a Reuters report on October 27, Erdogan met with the President of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” on the 26th. At a press conference after the meeting, Erdogan said that it is time to consider a realistic two-state solution. He also criticized the Cyprus government supported by Greece for always obstructing the resolution of the problem.
“It must be understood that the current negotiations cannot achieve any results. They have been in talks for more than half a century.” He said, “In this case, we believe that negotiations are based on the realization of the two countries (Cyprus and “Northern Cyprus”) federation. It’s a waste of time. A realistic two-state solution must now be introduced.”
Turkey has always advocated that the “Northern Serbia” regime gains more international recognition and even independence, but Greece and Cyprus strongly oppose this plan, and the EU supports the latter two positions
The Cyprus issue has always been the focus of the Greek-Turkish dispute. In 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus and settled Turkish residents in Varosha and other northern parts of Cyprus. The Greek residents who originally lived in Varosha were forced to move south. At present, Greek residents live in the Republic of Cyprus in the southern part of the island of Cyprus, while Turkish residents live in the northern part of the island and have established the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” on their own, but this regime is not recognized by the international community. At present, Cyprus is generally regarded as a sovereign country by the international community, and the government of the Republic of Cyprus is the legal government.
In early August 2020, after Turkey discovered natural gas in the disputed waters of the Eastern Mediterranean, tensions between Greece and Turkey began to heat up. On August 6, the two countries signed a maritime boundary agreement to establish an exclusive economic zone. However, Turkey restarted natural gas exploration activities since then, resulting in a continuous escalation of the regional situation.
