Turkey continues to preserve rights, interest in Cyprus

By Meryem Goktas

ANKARA

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy on Friday said that Turkey will continue to preserve its rights and interests in the region.

In a Aksoy said: "[Turkey] will resolutely continue to preserve its rights and interests emanating from the fact that Turkish Cypriots are co-owners of the Island."

"Those who are taking steps in the region to the detriment of the legitimate rights and interests of the Republic of Turkey as well as Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and those who try to ignore Turkey in the region, will never achieve their goals," he added.

Aksoy said that Turkey is "dismayed by the unwarranted claims against Turkey" in a joint declaration which was published by the Greece-Egypt-Greek Cypriot Administration trilateral summit on Oct. 10.

Egypt, Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration have held five previous joint summits with the stated aim of promoting bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy and maritime border demarcation.

"In disregard of the atrocities committed by Greek Cypriots against the Turkish Cypriots between 1963-1974 in the Island, attributing the “Cyprus problem” to the Peace Operation carried out by Turkey in 1974 based on the rights stemming from 1960 Guarantee Agreement, is unacceptable," he added.

The status of the island of Cyprus remains unresolved, in spite of a series of UN-mediated discussions between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot administration.

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

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including the latest initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and the U.K. collapsing in 2017.

Turkey blames Greek Cypriot intransigence for the talks' failure, also faulting the European Union for admitting Cyprus as a divided island into the union in 2004 after Greek Cypriot voters rejected a peace deal.