Cyprus

Turkey’s insistence on continuing the guarantees treaty, rights of intervention in Cyprus and a permanent Turkish military presence on the island were responsible for the deadlock at the Crans Montana talks on the Cyprus issue, Cyprus government spokesman Nikos Christodoulides said on Saturday.

As the collapse of the Cyprus reunification talks showed that Greek Cypriots were not interested in a negotiated agreement, Turkey is left with no option but to act alone, a retired Turkish ambassador has said.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias accused the United Nations mediator for the Cyprus problem, Espen Barth Eide, of trying to undermine the island's reunification process.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has blamed “Greek Cypriot intransigence” for the collapse of peace negotiations at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana on July 7.

“The Greek Cypriot side responded with intransigence to our position of good will and sincerity,” said Erdogan.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said July 20 that Turkish Cyprus could depend on Ankara for support and said Turkey would "continue  protecting the rights of Turkish Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean."

By Constantine Tzanos, Contributor Nuclear engineer, PhD*

July 7, 2017, marked the failure of another effort to solve the over 40-year-old problem of the division of Cyprus. Turkey, in defiance of the international law, refused to terminate its military occupation of Northern Cyprus.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Thursday warned Cyprus its moves to explore for energy around the eastern Mediterranean were "untimely and dangerous", adding that Ankara would continue to protect the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots.

Turkey on July 20 accused Greek Cyprus of taking "dangerous" steps in its search for energy resources in the Mediterranean, two weeks after crunch talks aimed at reunifying the divided island collapsed, as reported by AFP. 

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım visited the northern Cyprus to mark the 43rd anniversary of Turkey's intervention on the island.

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım on July 20 warned Greek Cyprus its moves to explore for energy around the eastern Mediterranean were "untimely and dangerous," adding that Ankara would continue to protect the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots.

Yıldırım was speaking at an event in Nicosia. 

Marking the 43rd anniversary of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus just a few days after the collapse of United Nations-mediated talks to reunify the island, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias on Thursday appealed to "the whole of the international community to call to mind the criminal repercussions of the illegal Turkish invasion and the ongoing tragedy in Cyprus."