Mitsotakis reiterates to Erdogan the need to resume talks on the division of Cyprus

11 Jul. () –

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, where he stressed the need to resume talks to resolve the political situation in Cyprus.

In this regard, Mitsotakis has asserted that the island cannot remain divided because it is a member of the European Union, although Ankara recognises the Turkish Cypriot authorities, according to a statement from the Office of the Greek Prime Minister.

The two leaders also spoke about the “mutual benefit” of maintaining bilateral relations in a “climate of calm” and about their satisfaction with the fight against irregular migration.

Cyprus has been divided in two since 1974, when the Turkish army occupied the northern part – 36.2 percent of its territory – following a coup instigated by the military junta in power in Greece and fearing that the island would join Greece. In 1983, the Turkish Cypriots proclaimed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Ankara.

The United Nations acts as guarantor in the area separating the two territories, while trying to bring the parties closer together in order to achieve reunification. However, all attempts made so far have ended in failure, despite the commitment of both sides to continue moving forward in this direction.