Egyptian criticism of Turkey’s plan for a two-state solution peace deal on ethnically divided Cyprus has come as the latest sign of ongoing tension between Cairo and Ankara despite previous diplomatic efforts to rebuild their relations.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that his country rejects the two-state solution Turkey is seeking to impose as a condition for the resumption of peace talks under the auspices of the United Nations.
In a press conference following his meeting with his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides on Dec. 14, Shoukry added that any talks should fall within UN procedures to reunify the eastern Mediterranean island as a federation.
Shoukry said that regional challenges need to be resolved based on international law rather than “aggressive activities or expansionist tendencies.” The Nicosia government accuses Turkey of seeking a peace deal that would broaden its control over the eastern Mediterranean, which is rich in oil and gas reserves. Christodoulides said that he expressed to Shoukry his government’s deep concern over “Turkey’s destabilizing foreign policy in the region.” The two officials stressed the importance of maintaining stability in the eastern Mediterranean region.
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Since the Turkish invasion in 1974, Cyprus has been divided into a northern part run by Turkish Cypriots and a southern part run by Greek Cypriots.
Turkey is the only country that recognizes Northern Cyprus as a sovereign country and it maintains more than 35,000 troops there. It has no diplomatic relations with the internationally recognized government of Cyprus in Nicosia, which joined the European Union in 2004.
