European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has refused Turkey’s two-state proposal for the Cyprus conflict, saying “We will never, ever accept a two-state solution. We are firm on that and very united.”
On Friday, during a visit to the ethnically split Cyprus, the President said, “Our neighbours have (an) interest in good bilateral relations. Suppose this is the case, and we also have an interest in good bilateral relations, I want our neighbours to know that if they speak to one of our member states, like for example Cyprus, in whatever tone, they speak to the European Union.” Likewise, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, reaffirmed that the “two-state solution in Cyprus is a non-starter.”
On the contrary, the Turkish government and Turkish Cypriots believe a two-state solution for Cyprus is the only viable solution. The leader of the Turkish Cypriots, Ersin Tatar, said, “Nobody should expect us to be patched onto a unitary, single state. We are negotiating for a two-state solution.” A two-state solution would give international recognition to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is unacceptable to the Greek Cypriots. In a tweet, Pakistan’s embassy in Turkey also recognised the TRNC, which has rekindled Turkish Cypriots hope for official recognition of their governance in the northern part of Cyprus.
In April, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom (UK), Turkey and Greece met for a three-day summit in Geneva to discuss the Cyprus conflict and Turkey’s two-state proposal. The Republic of Cyprus rejected the proposal and refused to divide Cyprus on ethnic lines and proposed a “decentralised federation” to solve the conflict. However, the representatives failed to reach a consensus on either of the proposals. Additionally, the conflict intensified after the discovery and mining of off-shore natural gas reserves by Turkey last year. Following this, the EU imposed sanctions on Turkish officials involved in drilling gas in waters claimed by the Greek Cypriots.
Moreover, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, said, “The truth is that at the end of our efforts, we have not yet found enough common ground to allow for the resumption of formal negotiations.”
The conflict began after Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 following a brief coup by the Greeks following the dismissal of the Greek-Turkey power-sharing government amid violence. The northern part of the island nation is the Turkish Cypriot state, recognised only by Ankara, while the southern part is internationally recognised and represents the entire nation in the European Union (EU). The Greek Cypriots represent the entire nation with Greece’s support, and became a member of the EU in 2004.
Since the efforts led by the UN to reunite the nation failed, the island nation has been thrust into a conflict between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. However, the UN intends to make fresh efforts in bridging the disagreements between the warring sides. News reports also suggested that Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during his visit to the occupied part of Cyprus on July 20, could make a big announcement that could determine the future political course of Cyprus.
EU Rejects Two-State Solution on Cyprus, Widening Rift With Turkey
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, rejected the two-state solution proposed by Turkish Cypriots to resolve the Cyprus conflict.
July 12, 2021
SOURCE: EKATHIMERINI