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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.
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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