Tayyip Erdo?an, the President of Trkiye, recently said that it was better for the island nation of Cyprus to stay divided into two states i.e. Greek and Turkish Cyprus.
The news comes after the shock victory of the people of the ?rogue? Turkish Cyprus voting for Tufan Erhurman to be their next leader, as opposed to Ankara?s favorite Ersin Tatar.
Interestingly, one of the main reasons Erhurman gained his popularity is due to the fact that he is a supporter of reunification. He is eager to negotiate with the Greek Cypriots to come to a solution that is beneficial to both sides and can bring long-overdue peace to the citizens of the island.
However, right after hosting the new Turkish Cypriot leader on his maiden diplomatic visit to Turkey, President Erdogan reiterated that it was best for Cyprus to have the two states remain friendly but separate.
He further added that his view represents the sentiments of his country at large, and they would rather have the talks continue in that direction, than one where the borders and put down and the factions are dissolved.
This comes in stark contrast to Erhurman?s statement of Turkish Cypriots being an equal one out of two of Cyprus? founding partners. He said that while they will not compromise on unequal terms of any kind with regard to their status as Turkish Cypriots, they are willing to discuss bringing the matter to a suitable conclusion.
Cyprus was divided into two states in 1974, and multiple rounds of negotiation have since failed. The last official discussion on this topic was held in 2017 in Switzerland, but it remained inconclusive.
