ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2021) Turkey will seek international recognition of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
During his visit to the island on Tuesday, Erdogan and the TRNC leader Ersin Tatar announced plans to partially reopen the fenced-off military Varosha quarter in the northern Cypriot city of Famagusta for further resettlement. The decision sparked harsh criticism from the Greek Cypriots, who accused Ankara of organizing a land-grab.
"The main demand of Turkish Cypriots in international negotiations is the recognition of their status as a sovereign state. ... Everything possible will be done to ensure the [international] recognition of the Turkish Cypriot state," Erdogan said in a televised address on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
The Cyprus issue is nearly half a century old. The island, populated by Greek and Turkish Cypriots, has been de facto divided since 1974 when an attempt to unify Cyprus with Greece prompted Turkey to deploy armed forces to the island. On November 15, 1983, Turkish Cypriots declared their independence, recognized solely by Turkey.
Ankara and the TRNC leader support a two-state solution for the island, while the Greek Cypriots support a bizonal, bicommunal federation. With the participation of the two sides and the three guarantor states of Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom, negotiations under the guidance of the United Nations are occasionally held in order to find a solution to the conflict.
