Turkey to maintain support for 2-state Cyprus solution

By Ferdi Turkten

ANKARA (AA) - Ankara will maintain its support for a two-state solution in Cyprus based on the sovereign equality of the Turkish and Greek sides on the island in all areas, the country's vice president said on Thursday.

"We'll continue to advocate a two-state solution based on sovereign equality in all areas, which will mean peace and stability for the whole region, against exhausted efforts and unilateral approaches," Fuat Oktay said on Twitter.

Oktay said that during recent informal talks on the future of Cyprus held in Geneva, the Greek Cypriot administration had maintained its attitude favoring deadlock on the island.

He underlined that Turkey would stand by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in its rightful struggle.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long struggle between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

The island has been divided since 1964 when ethnic attacks forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aiming at Greece's annexation led to Turkey's military intervention as a guarantor power. The TRNC was founded in 1983.

The Greek Cypriot administration, backed by Greece, became a member of the EU in 2004, although most Greek Cypriots rejected a UN settlement plan in a referendum that year, which had envisaged a reunited Cyprus joining the EU.​​​​​​​