TRNC ‘open’ to federal resolution

By Murat Demirci

LEFKOSA

The President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said on Wednesday that he was open to a federal system if the Greek side adopted a “reasonable” stance.

Speaking at the presidential palace in capital Lefkosa at a ceremony related to the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the TRNC, Mustafa Akinci said he would consider a resolution with “two constituent states under a common federal framework resting on equality, freedom and security”.

The eastern Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks, and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was declared on Nov. 15, 1983. It is currently recognized only by Turkey as an independent state.

The flags of Turkey and the TRNC were mounted on Istanbul’s July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge, formerly known as the Bosphorus Bridge.