While Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed his country’s desire for a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for a republic.
The leaders of Turkey and Greece took opposing stances to mark the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus – which led to the division of the island.
Attending a military parade in the northern part of the island, Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan celebrated the day in July 1974 when Turkish warships and troops launched an offensive on the Mediterranean island that Turkey calls a “peace operation”.
Speaking ahead of the parade, he ruled out a peace deal based on a United Nations-endorsed plan for a federation and reaffirmed his support for a two-state deal that Greek Cypriots dismiss as a non-starter.
Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was present for events in the island’s south, including the unveiling of memorials to fallen heroes, church services and a gathering at the Presidential Palace.
While Cyprus is an independent country in the EU, nearly four fifths of the population are Greek Cypriots and less than a fifth are Turkish Cypriots.
The source of tension between the two NATO nations occurred after power-sharing in Cyprus fell apart in 1963.
Subsequent fighting led to the division of the island between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus.
Fast-forward 50 years and the two sides remain at odds about how to improve relations. Greek Cypriots want reunification as a federation while Turkish Cypriots want a two-state settlement.
Reaffirming his support for negotiations to establish a two-state solution, Mr Erdogan told crowds in the north of the capital, Nicosia, that Turkey was “ready for negotiations, to meet, and to establish long-term peace and resolution”.
He said a federal solution was not possible and Turkey would “continue to fight with determination for the recognition of the TRNC (breakaway Turkish Cypriot state)” – which is not internationally recognised.
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar added that the breakaway state rejects “domination” by the Greek Cypriot majority and seeks “equal national status”.
Mr Erdogan’s remarks could further complicate efforts by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to get both sides back to the negotiating table. His personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, has spent the past six months scoping both sides out.
Speaking on the south side of the divided capital, Mr Mitsotakis said Greece had one aim: “A republic of Cyprus with a single sovereignty, a single international personality, a single nationality, in a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, a single state where all citizens will be Cypriots and Europeans, without a foreign occupation army, without outdated guarantees.”
The Turkish-Greek divide on the island was also felt in the UK as around 250 members of the Greek Cypriot community held a protest outside the Turkish embassy in central London calling for troops to leave.