20 February 2019•Update: 21 February 2019
By Murat Demirci
LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Due to the bias of Greek Cypriot leaders, federal partnership on the divided island of Cyprus is not a "realistic option," said a top Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) official on Wednesday.
"Four political parties and most of the 50 [Turkish Cypriot] parliament members think the Greek Cypriot side is not ready to share administration and wealth and is not comfortable with our political equality,” said Kudret Ozersay, the Turkish Cypriot deputy prime minister and foreign minister, in a statement.
"Therefore a federal partnership is not a realistic option.”
He added: “Two political parties and a group of parliamentarians see federation as the only solution and are willing to conduct negotiations.”
He said the Greek Cypriot leadership favors continuing the status quo.
Cyprus 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.
It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including the collapse of a 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece, and Britain.
