Mustafa Akıncı and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan watched a military parade in Nicosia
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used an official visit to North Cyprus this week to encourage progress in peace talks with the Greek Cypriots.
The Turkish president, who was visiting the Turkish Cypriot portion of the island to mark the 41st anniversary of the Turkish military intervention on Cyprus, said the positive atmosphere in the negotiations presented an opportunity that should not be missed.
Erdoğan and Akıncı were in a jovial mood
There was also a flypast by the air force
He said: “We are pleased that the negotiations have begun again. We hope that the existing positive atmosphere in the negotiations process is capitalised so that progress can be made towards a resolution without losing any more time.
“As everyone knows, we have always been one step ahead regarding a resolution. As I told [former UN Secretary-General Kofi] Annan when we started the process: ‘As Turks, we will always be one step ahead of the Greek Cypriots, just so long as you provide balance in this process’.”
He was hosted at a ceremony in Nicosia by Turkish Cypriot president Mustafa Akıncı. It was their first face-to-face meeting since April, when Mr Akıncı stirred emotions in Ankara by suggesting North Cyprus’s relationship with Turkey should be based on “two equal, independent states”.
His comments were a reference to the many mainland Turks who regard their ties with Turkish Cypriots to resemble a parent-child relationship.
Speaking alongside the Turkish president, Mr Akıncı also expressed optimism about the negotiations.
“We hope to prepare the ground for an agreement that both sides will say ‘yes’ to, which will protect the rights and law of both sides,” he said.
Mr Akıncı had earlier drawn plaudits from the Greek Cypriot leadership for acknowledging Turkey’s 1974 invasion of Cyprus in response to a Greek-backed coup was not just a “peace operation” but also “a war”.
In a written statement on Monday, he said: “There is no doubt what we called ‘peace operation’ can also say it was a war. And the war’s conditions were undoubtedly difficult and challenging. After the great suffering the Turkish Cypriot people experienced in the 1950s and 1960s, the Greek Cypriot community too was one of the biggest victims of the 1974 tragedy caused by the Greek junta”.
Greek Cypriot president Nicos Anastasiades welcomed the comments, saying they showed “gallantry” and that he was “comforted” by the reference and acknowledgement, the Cyprus Mail said.