President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey is ready to build a naval base in Cyprus. This statement comes half a century after Turkish forces invaded the island, which is now divided.
According to the official Anadolu news agency, the leader said, “If necessary, we can construct a base and naval structures in the north” of Cyprus. This statement was made on Sunday.
Erdogan also said that he flew back to Turkey after visiting Northern Cyprus on Saturday. He marked 50 years since Turkey’s invasion of the island. He accused Greece of wanting to establish their own naval base in Cyprus. Both sides remain divided on the future of the island.
Cyprus gained independence from Britain in 1960. However, the shared administration between Greek and Turkish Cypriots quickly fell apart. This was due to violence, which led to Turkish Cypriots withdrawing into enclaves. The United Nations then sent a peacekeeping force to the island.
In 1974, Turkey captured more than a third of the island. They also expelled more than 160,000 Greek Cypriots to the south. Since then, Cyprus has been divided by ethnicity, with Greek and Turkish Cypriots living on either side of a UN-patrolled border.
In 1983, Turkey established what they call the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This is a breakaway state recognized only by Turkey.
On Saturday, Erdogan attended a military parade in north Nicosia. This was to mark the day in 1974 when Turkey launched its offensive.
Greek Cypriots commemorated those killed and still missing since their expulsion in 1974. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said on Saturday that reunification was the only option.
A divided Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004. However, Greek Cypriots rejected a UN plan to end their differences with Turkish Cypriots.
On the other side of the UN-patrolled buffer zone that separates the two communities, Erdogan rejected the federal model championed by the UN. He said he saw no point in relaunching talks on such a plan.
“Frankly, we do not think it is possible to start a new negotiation process without establishing an equation whereby both parties sit down as equals and leave the table as equals,” he said.
The last round of UN-backed talks to reunify the island collapsed in 2017.
Erdogan also announced that Turkey is constructing the building of the presidency of Northern Cyprus and the parliament building on the island. He said they are constructing a military base, while they are building a political base.
He also praised the “precious” presence of the leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Ozgur Ozel, during Saturday’s visit. He said this demonstrated the “unity” of Turkey’s population with regards to Cyprus.
