Turkish vice president, Turkish Cypriot president discuss Cyprus issue

By Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay discussed the Cyprus issue with Ersin Tatar, president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Turkiye’s Communications Directorate said on Saturday.

The two also discussed the latest developments in the region and cooperation between the two countries.

The meeting was held at the official residence of Oktay.

- Decades-long dispute

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

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Turkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkiye, Greece and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot administration entered the European Union in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.