Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus on his first official visit since his inauguration as Turkish President on Monday. Visiting the Turkish-occupied state has traditionally been a first visit by any new Turkish president. During his visit, Erdogan met with Dervis Eroglu, leader of the Turkish-held part of Northern Cyprus that is recognized only by Turkey. He said that a two-state solution is the only way forward for Cyprus and called on Greece to adopt a more positive approach in the reunification talks.

On its part, the recognized Cypriot Government deemed Erdogan’s visit as illegal, whereas Greek-Cypriot Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides said that Ankara’s “frequent call for the involvement of Greece in the dialogue in an effort to equate the responsibilities for the ongoing occuption in Cyprus for which Turkey is solely responsible is unacceptable.”

Cyprus has been divided for 40 years since Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third in 1974. The official Cypriot government is opposed to statements or acts that refer to a solution outside the framework of relevant UN resolutions.

Turkish-Cypriots also against Erdogan’s visit:

Members of trade unions and non-government organizations objected to Erdogan’s visit and held protests. “He is responsible for deaths in Syria, in Iraq, he is responsible for the deaths of miners in Soma and for the deaths of protesters at Gezi Park,” said Sener Elcil, general secretary of the Turkish-Cypriot Teacher’s Association (KTOS) when speaking to Cyprus Mail.