Turkish Cypriots will never be minority, says Erdogan

ATHENS

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkish Cypriots would never be a minority, but “joint owners” of the divided island of Cyprus.

"I would like to clearly express that these dreams of the Greek Cypriots will never happen.

"Turkish Cypriots will never be reduced to the status of a minority, as the Greek Cypriots wish, on an island, where they are joint owners," Erdogan said in an interview to Greek daily To Vima.

Erdogan visited Greece last Thursday and Friday, becoming the first Turkish president to visit the country in 65 years, upon the invitation of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

The president met with his Greek counterpart Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in his two-day visit, discussing future cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism, trade, transport, energy, tourism, Cyprus, Treaty of Lausanne, migration.

Erdogan said the Greek Cypriots had serious problems regarding the in the new partnership state in the negotiations that had been going on for half a century on the Cyprus issue.

"Negotiations are doomed to remain inconclusive unless there is a change towards an understanding that Turkish Cypriots are political equals," Erdogan said.

Turkey blamed Greek Cypriot intransigence after the latest peace initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece, and Britain collapsed this July.

Turkey’s EU membership bid

Greek Cypriot voters also rejected the Annan peace plan in a 2004 referendum that was approved by Turkish Cypriot voters.

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.

On Turkey’s EU membership bid, Erdogan said that full membership to European bloc has always been a strategic goal for his country.

"Despite all the double standards of the EU, we still continue to work to gain membership with good will," the president said.

Criticizing the bloc for blocking new chapters for the country's accession to the EU, Erdogan said blocking the chapters did not serve as a constructive criticism.

Turkey applied for EU membership in 1987 and accession talks began in 2005.

Negotiations, however, hit a stalemate in 2007 because of Turkey’s position on the Cyprus issue and opposition to its full EU membership by the German and French governments.

To gain membership, Turkey has to successfully conclude negotiations with the EU in 35 policy chapters that involve reforms and the adoption of European standards.

Reporting by Furkan Naci Top; Writing by Burcu Arik