Greece believes the unification of Turkish and Greek Cypriots is the only solution to the decades-old division, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said Monday amid the latest push for peace in the island.
“(The island of) Cyprus can no longer remain divided. The partition was never a solution. The only solution for a unified Europe and peaceful world is unification,” Gerapetritis told reporters ahead of an EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels.
The Mediterranean Island was divided in 1974 after a Greek Cypriot coup aiming at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was founded in 1983.
The island has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years.
Gerapetritis’ remarks came hours ahead of a two-day meeting between representatives of Türkiye, the TRNC, Greek Cypriots, Greece and the United Kingdom in Geneva later on Monday.
Gerapetritis is due to meet his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, as well as Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar, Greek Cypriot administration leader Nikos Christodoulides, and Stephen Doughty, the British minister of state for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories.
Hosted by U.N. chief Antonio Guterres, the meeting aims to build new steps to end the decadeslong deadlock over the fate of the island.
Guterres is also scheduled to hold separate discussions with each delegation before the general meeting of all sides.
Türkiye, Greece and the U.K. (which once ruled the island) represent the guarantor states at the meeting. Ankara strictly adheres to a two-state solution based on sovereign equality, which Tatar campaigned for.
The talks are expected to pave the way for a road map on the future status of communities in Cyprus. They are not expected to generate a landmark outcome overnight but may push the process a little after years of deadlock as relations between relevant parties gradually change for better or worse over decades.
Turkish Cypriots often pursued an approach that safeguarded the rights of the community, though it was open to concessions in the past, including a bi-communal federation.
Under Tatar, who was elected in 2020, it adopted a more hawkish tone and persisted in sovereign equality and two states on the island.
The TRNC sees recognition of sovereign equality and equal international status by the international community as a priority to resume talks with the Greek Cypriots for a fair, permanent and lasting solution to the question.
Tatar and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated this view on international platforms, particularly at the U.N.
Meanwhile, Greek Cypriots, which enjoy international recognition under the name of the “Republic of Cyprus,” insist on the bicommunal federation model, which the sides failed to reach an agreement upon in their previous talks.
The sides last held talks in Geneva in the same format in April 2021. Tatar presented a six-point solution proposal back then. One of those points urged the U.N. Secretary-General to take action for a U.N. Security Council resolution for equal international status and to ensure sovereign equality of the two sides. Greek Cypriots flatly rejected it, essentially leading to a collapse of the talks.
The two sides are disproportionately “equal” in terms of international status.
Türkiye is the main backer of the TRNC, along with many Turkic states, while Greek Cypriots boast the support of the EU into which they were admitted and most Western countries.
However, Türkiye’s rising profile in the region may be sufficient to reach a deal. Tatar recently referenced Türkiye as a “homeland that will stand with us at the table in Geneva.”
The Turkish Cypriot president maintains close ties with Ankara, unlike the previous administrations of the TRNC, which have been at odds with Türkiye on a solution to the Cyprus question.
Although Türkiye does not recognize the “Republic of Cyprus,” it recently accelerated efforts for a rapprochement with its historic foe, Greece, the main backer of the Greek Cypriots. Greece and Türkiye still differ on the Cyprus question, but their rapprochement may also push the sides on the island closer.
Tatar also said in statements published by media outlets ahead of the Geneva talks that they were ready to cooperate with Greek Cypriots, particularly on energy, water and the operation of border gates. He said they could pursue a “win-win formula,” such as finding a way for direct flights and commerce between TRNC and other countries.
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