Speaking before the United Nations General Assembly, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated Ankara’s long-standing position in favor of a two-state solution to the Cyprus issue, calling on the international community to recognize the pseudo-state and develop political and economic relations with it.
Commenting on the Turkish President’s speech, Giorgos Georgiadis noted that, despite the change in leadership in the Turkish Cypriot community, Ankara’s position on the Cyprus issue remains unchanged.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Read more: Christodoulides speaks on critical developments behind the scenes in the Cyprus issue
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan specifically called on the international community to recognize the breakaway entity in the occupied territories and to establish political and economic relations with it, while also calling for an end to what he described as the “isolation” of Turkish Cypriots. This position reiterates the line Ankara has been following in recent years regarding sovereign equality and a two-state solution in Cyprus.
The Turkish President also made a special reference to the Middle East, launching a fierce critique of Israel over the situation in Gaza and calling on the international community to exert greater pressure on the Israeli government. At the same time, he presented Turkey as a country seeking to play an active role in a series of regional conflicts and diplomatic initiatives.
In his speech, he also addressed Turkey’s relations with Europe, arguing that European security cannot be addressed independently of Turkey. Regarding the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, he reiterated his position in favor of dialogue and cooperation, while reiterating Ankara’s proposal for a broad regional conference of Eastern Mediterranean countries, whose agenda could also include energy issues.
Attention is now turning to the meetings that will take place in New York, and how the meeting between UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to reveal whether any developments or new circumstances might emerge the Cyprus issue.
