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.
