Turkish Cypriot leader calls on EU leaders to 'see realities' of Cyprus

BRUSSELS Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar called on EU leaders on Friday to "see the realities" on the island. "I once again call on them (EU leaders) to see the realities of Cyprus," Tatar told reporters following a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Brussels. Tatar's remarks came after Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said after a two-day EU leaders' summit that the bloc opposed to a two-state solution on the island. While Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration support a federation on Cyprus, Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) insist on a two-state solution reflecting the realities on the island.
 "If they don't see it, if they keep treating Turkey unfairly like this, they shouldn't think we'd accept an imposed solution," said Tatar. "Our message is that steps should always be taken according to the realities of Cyprus," he said, noting that there have been two states on the island since 60 years. He stressed that Turkish Cypriots agreed on all roadmaps for a solution, including the 2004 Annan plan, however, these were rejected by the Greek Cypriot administration. In 2004, a plan proposed by then-UN chief Kofi Annan to resolve the issue was accepted by the Turkish Cypriots, but rejected by the Greek Cypriots in twin referendums. Tatar also cited Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s efforts during the 2017 Crans-Montana talks on Cyprus. He said the talks proved fruitless because the Greek Cypriots left the table without accepting even "political equality." 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. 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. *Writing by Sena Guler in Ankara