Cyprus talks can't last forever, President Gül warns

“There has to be a deadline,” Gül told reporters on Friday at a joint news conference with Derviş Eroğlu, who is paying his first official visit to Ankara after his election as the Turkish Cypriot president in April. “We wish that the talks had been concluded last year, but they were not. This year, this must end.”

He suggested that the Turkish Cypriot state, now recognized only by Turkey, could go alone as an independent state if talks do not produce a result. “The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus [KKTC] is a country that has proven itself. It has a democracy that has proven its maturity and its economy is growing stronger,” he said. “And Turkey will continue to offer support.”

Prior to the April election, Eroğlu’s predecessor, Mehmet Ali Talat, had more than 70 rounds of talks with Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias. The two sides reported progress but nothing that could be considered a breakthrough in efforts to reunite Cyprus as a federal state after decades of division. Contrary to Talat, who repeatedly expressed commitment to the reunification of Cyprus, Eroğlu is promoting a more nationalist line and demands equal sovereign rights for the Turkish Cypriots. But he said he was ready to continue talks, and the negotiations resumed in late May.

On an unusually upbeat note, the United Nations said following the resumption of talks that it believed a peace deal in Cyprus could be brokered within months. “The international community is committed to continuing its support for this Cypriot-led process. I truly believe that you can reach an agreement in the coming months,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement to Eroğlu and Christofias. Gül welcomed the UN’s optimism and support for a quick settlement in Cyprus, saying the opportunity to resolve the decades-long dispute should not be missed again. In 2004, the Turkish Cypriots approved a UN plan to reunite the island, but the plan collapsed because the Greek Cypriots voted against it in a simultaneous vote. A few days after the vote, they joined the European Union as the official representative of the entire island, acquiring the right to veto candidate Turkey’s accession talks. In 2006, the EU suspended talks on eight of 35 negotiating chapters with Turkey due to Ankara’s refusal to open its ports and airports to traffic from Greek Cyprus.

“A big opportunity was missed in 2004 when the Turkish Cypriots said ‘yes’ but the Greek Cypriots said ‘no.’ Now, the negotiations have resumed, and Mr. Eroğlu is continuing with them in a positive and constructive style. This should be understood well by the Greek Cypriots and the international community, and everyone should fulfill their responsibility in good faith so as not to miss the opportunity this time,” Gül said, underlining that a particularly big responsibility falls on the shoulders of the EU.

Eroğlu said he aimed to achieve a lasting and sustainable deal, urging the Greek Cypriots to show the same commitment and enthusiasm. Eroğlu also had talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.