Turkey and Cyprus remain divided 50 years after island split

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced scepticism on Saturday about continuing negotiations on Cyprus's future at the United Nations.

During an event in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) marking 50 years since the island was divided between Turkey and Greece, Erdogan said: “We believe that a federal solution is not possible in Cyprus. It is of no benefit to anyone to say let us continue negotiations where we left off in Switzerland years ago.”

“Turkey is ready to negotiate, discuss, achieve lasting peace, solution in Cyprus,” Erdogan said, adding that both sides “should sit at the table as equals”.

In 1974, Turkey captured more than a third of Cyprus and expelled more than 160,000 Greek Cypriots to southern Cyprus. 

Since its founding, the Turkish Cypriot leadership of the TRNC has sought international recognition. 

However, Turkey is the only country to recognise the TRNC, with the rest of the world considering it part of the Republic of Cyprus. 

Since its founding, the island has been divided ethnically, with UN peacekeepers acting as a buffer between the two groups.

Meanwhile, Cyprus’s president, Nikos Christodoulides, speaking at a separate event in Nicosia on Friday evening, said reunification between the two sides is the only way forward for Cyprus. 

“Whatever Mr Erdogan and his representatives in the occupied areas do or say, Turkey, 50 years later, continues to be responsible for the violation of human rights of the entire Cypriot people and for the violation of international law,” said Christodoulides.