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Greek Cypriot leader rules out 2-state solution in Cyprus

Turkish Cypriot leader disputes Nicos Anastasiades, says 'our state has already been there for 60 years'

Betul Yuruk  | 27.09.2021 - Update : 28.09.2021
Greek Cypriot leader rules out 2-state solution in Cyprus FILE PHOTO

UNITED NATIONS

Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades on Monday rejected two-state solution in Cyprus, disputed by his Turkish counterpart who said Turkish Cyprus has been a state for six decades.

Anastasiades responded "no" when he was asked by Anadolu Agency if he was open to a two-state solution, and added: "I am open to a bi-zonal and bi-communal federation."

His remarks came ahead of his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar at the UN headquarters.

When asked for his remarks about Anastasiades' comments, Tatar, for his part, said: "Our state has already been there for 60 years. There are two states and those are Cyprus' truths.

"No one will abandon their 60-year state from now on," Tatar added.

Tatar on Saturday met with Guterres on the sidelines of the 76th session of UN General Assembly in New York. 
The two exchanged views on the Cyprus issue, according to a statement by the UN.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation led to Turkey's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

* Servet Gunerigok in Washington contributed to this story

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