Erdogan urges all parties to pitch in on new Constitution

ANKARA

Turkey's president on Wednesday urged all political parties to participate in drafting a new Constitution.

"We want all political parties to take part in this process. We will make a sincere effort to this end," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his party's parliamentary group in the capital Ankara.

Turkey should draft a Constitution that will meet the needs of the next century, Erdogan said.

"Let's prepare our proposals on the new constitution this year and start discussions. Let us share these with our nation with a visionary perspective, goodwill, and constructive approach, without leaving anyone and any segment behind," he said.

The Turkish president said that there was consensus on common aspects of the new Constitution. "Let's talk and discuss the different opinions over and over."

"Let's enter the 100th anniversary of our republic not with the coup Constitution, but with a new civilian Constitution that suits this country and our nation," he added.

Erdogan said that the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) -- his ally in People's Alliance -- will back efforts for the new Constitution.

"As Peoples' Alliance, we are determined to make the most constructive contribution to the new Constitution," he said.

"The final decision will of course be given by our nation," he added.

MHP leader Devlet Bahceli has voiced agreement on drafting the new Constitution.

Cyprus

The Turkish president reiterated that the only solution to the lingering dispute in Cyprus is the two-state model.

The world should know that Turkey will no longer allow Turkish Cypriots to be victimized by the 50-year deadlock, he said.

Erdogan also slammed Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' recent remarks against Turkey.

"Don't challenge me. Know your place. If you do not know it, [it means] you kicked the table, you ran away," he said in response to Mitsotakis' comments.

"What you did on [Aegean] islands is obvious. Who do you trust? You think that some support will come from somewhere again, do you believe this? If you believe this, you are wrong. No matter where it comes from, you should know that Turkey is tall in the saddle, in its place and knows what is necessary to do," he said.

On Monday, the Greek premier called for ending “Turkish occupation" in Cyprus, saying the only solution to the Cyprus issue was a federal formula between the two states.

While Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration support a federation in Cyprus, Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) insist on a two-state solution reflecting the realities on the island.

The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island was followed by violence against the island’s Turks and Ankara’s intervention as a guarantor power.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece, and the UK. The TRNC was founded in 1983.