Turkish FM Blames Cyprus President for Breaking Up Reconciliation Talks

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades of disrupting the UN-brokered talks on Cyprus settlement on Thursday.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said earlier in the day that Anastasiades had left the negotiation table claiming that he had "nothing else to say." Anastasiades, on his part, said that the Turkish Cypriot delegation left the talks first.

"The Greek Cypriot leader left the talks banging the door. The actions of the Cypriot Greek community affirm [its real] position regarding the talks on settlements on the island," Cavusoglu said, as broadcast by Turkish NTV broadcaster.

On February 10, Cypriot parliament approved decision to hold annual celebrations to mark results of the 1950 referendum, in which voters chose the union with Greece. According to Cavusoglu, Ankara and Turkish Cypriots consider the recent decision to be inappropriate.

On Monday, the Turkish Cypriot side filed a request to the United Nations to cancel the negotiations set for the following day in response to Cyprus move.

Cyprus has been partitioned since 1974, when Turkey occupied the island's north, later proclaiming the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) there. TRNC is recognized only by Turkey, which maintains its military presence there.