'Greek Cypriot administration is liable for rising tensions'

ANKARA

The Greek Cypriot administration is responsible for rising tensions on the Eastern Mediterranean island, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said on Friday.

Referring to recent remarks by Greek Cypriot officials accusing Turkey of working to revive a new Ottoman Empire, the Turkish Cypriot Foreign Ministry said in a statement that this was a disrespectful and presumptuous approach aiming to conceal the Greek Cypriot side's own aggression.

Pointing out that the Greek Cypriot administration was the actual aggressor and acted in greed, the statement underlined that Turkey and the TRNC had demonstrated their goodwill to reach an agreement on the Cyprus issue and had proved their constructive attitude.

On the other hand, the ministry stressed, the Greek Cypriot administration has rejected all proposals for resolution and ignored the existence of the Turkish Cypriot people.

"We invite the Greek Cypriot side, who prefers aggression and impertinence over dialogue and diplomacy, to act reasonably," it concluded.

In a separate statement, the TRNC President Ersin Tatar said the only acceptable settlement on the Cyprus issue would be a two-state solution based on sovereign equality and cooperation between the two sides.

He stressed that after the experiences under the federal Republic of Cyprus formed in 1960, it would not be possible for the TRNC to compromise its freedom and statehood.

Cyprus issue

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 early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aiming at Greece’s annexation led to Turkey’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence.

The TRNC was founded in 1983.

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 Greek Cypriot administration entered the European Union in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots thwarted the UN's Annan plan to end the decades-long dispute.