Turkey criticizes 'shallow' Greek Cypriot talks claims

By Nazli Yuzbasioglu

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AA) - Greek Cypriot statements blaming Turkey for the breakdown in Switzerland-based Cyprus talks last week were “wrong and shallow,” Ankara’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Mevlut Cavusoglu was in the Ivory Coast, attending a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades has suggested Turkey is to blame for the talks’ failure.

However, Cavusoglu -- who had attended the Switzerland negotiations -- said Anastasiades’s comments had been aimed at domestic politics.

He also said negotiations did not mean accepting “every request” tabled by the other side: “If we are requested [to accept] something nonsense, we will of course refuse.”

The UN had sought a peace deal to unite Cyprus under a federal umbrella which could also define the future of Europe's relations with Turkey, a key player in the conflict.

The Eastern Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks, and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.