dpa
Istanbul
Cyprus marked the 50th anniversary of its division on Saturday, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected a unified Cypriot federation.
“We believe that a [single] federal solution is not possible in Cyprus,” the Turkish leader said on Saturday while visiting the Turkish-controlled north of the divided island. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides has rejected calls for a two-state solution.
“We are under no circumstances discussing a two-state solution,” Christodoulides told DPA on Thursday.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on Saturday for a united Cyprus.
“It’s been half a century since the national tragedy of Cyprus ... We claim a European state, united, based on UN resolutions. No foreign occupation army,” Mitsotakis wrote on the social media platform X.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also commented, calling the day a “tragic 50th anniversary.” “Cypriots deserve to live in a reunited country in conditions of peace, co-existence, stability and prosperity,” she argued.
Von der Leyen said further: “We will continue to firmly support Cyprus in the efforts to reunify the last divided EU member state, in line with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.”
