Cyprus Issue Can Be Solved With Talks Of Two States, Not Communities - Turkey's Cavusoglu

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published April 28, 2021 | 11:38 PM

The Cyprus problem can be solved with the negotiations of the two states rather than the two communities Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th April, 2021) The Cyprus problem can be solved with the negotiations of the two states rather than the two communities Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday.

The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, is hosting the informal 5+1 meeting on Cyrpus in Geneva from Tuesday to Thursday. The three guarantor states Turkey, Greece and the UK joined this meeting, which focuses on solutions for the divided island. President of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar, who was elected to the post in October, suggests a confederation, where each state would be sovereign, while Greek Cypriots favor a two-community federation.

"The only realistic solution is to conduct negotiations as between two states rather than two communities. Peace and stability for the whole region can only be possible with the cooperation of a two-state island. A Federal solution is not possible," the minister tweeted after a meeting with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

During the meeting, Cavusoglu underlined Turkey's support for the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriots.

"In Geneva we stated strong support for Turkish Cypriots' vision of sovereign equality, equal international status and their proposal to this end," the minister said.

Turkey and Turkish Cypriots are expecting London to show stronger support for a two-state solution after the UK's exit from the European Union. The president of Northern Cyprus recently stated that the UK could now fulfill its role as a neutral guarantor.

The Cyprus dispute is nearly five decades old. The island has been de facto divided since 1974, when an attempt to get Cyprus to join Greece caused Turkey to deploy armed forces there. On November 15, 1983, Turkish Cypriots declared the independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus which is, as of now, recognized only by Turkey.