Overview
- Erdogan said the most realistic resolution to the island’s political deadlock is the coexistence of two states and pledged continued efforts for peaceful side-by-side living.
- Erhurman, making his customary first foreign trip to Turkey after his October election, signaled readiness to attend negotiations or dialogue focused on cooperation and trust-building.
- He asserted that Turkish Cypriots are equal founding partners whose status and sovereign rights across Cyprus, including over hydrocarbons, are not open to negotiation.
- Greek Cypriot authorities have rejected a two-state formula, and Turkey remains the only country that recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
- Cyprus has been divided since 1974 and major UN-brokered talks have been stalled since 2017, though leaders held what the UN called constructive contacts in New York in July.