Latest editorial
Turkish military helicopters fly over the military parade, in the Turkish occupied area of the divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, July 20, 2024
TURKISH President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dampened hopes for a quick resumption of talks to heal a half-century of ethnic division in Cyprus on Saturday, reaffirming his support for a two-state deal that Greek Cypriots dismiss as a non-starter.
The president ruled out a peace deal based on a UN-endorsed plan for federation, speaking ahead of a military parade to mark the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion that split the island along ethnic lines.
“We will continue to fight with determination for the recognition of the [breakaway Turkish Cypriot state] TRNC and the implementation of a two-state solution,” Mr Erdogan told throngs of Turkish Cypriots lining the parade route in scorching heat in the northern half of the divided capital, Nicosia.
Mass strikes over cost-of-living protections have escalated into a broader confrontation over democracy, after the government moved to impose a pay freeze by decree, writes KIVANC ELIACIK
Cypriot lawyer and former central committee member of the Progressive Working People’s Party (Akel) TOUMAZOS TSIELEPIS discusses the case for expelling the British military from Cyprus
Meanwhile, Nato foreign ministers debate increased weapons spending as police investigate the bloc’s purchases of military equipment