Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Turkey’s position for a two-state solution to the Cyprus issue, stating that Cyprus is being “held hostage to an imperialist game” in the eastern Mediterranean. Specifically, the Turkish president argued that “Cyprus is also being added to the menu of the imperialist game being played in our region,” during his speech at the annual session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) in Istanbul.
Erdogan on Cyprus: “We will never abandon the Turkish Cypriot people”
“I consider it important for our Organization to further strengthen its solidarity with the Turkish Cypriot people. I expect you to offer even greater support to the Turkish Cypriots’ struggle for rights, freedom and justice, based on a two-state solution,” Erdogan added, conveying a position that contradicts UN resolutions, which provide for the reunification of Cyprus within the framework of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation. The president of Turkey then emphasized that: “We, as the motherland and guarantor power, will never abandon the Turkish Cypriot people and will always stand by their side in their just struggle.”
