Turkey is ready to build a naval base in northern Cyprus, " "if necessary," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, AFP reported, referring to the Anadolu Agency, quoted by BTA.
"If necessary, we can build a base and naval facilities in the north. We also have a sea,” said the Turkish president on the plane he returned from Cyprus, accusing Greece of wanting to create such a base on the island.
Erdogan visited northern Cyprus on Saturday, where Ankara established in 1983 the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognized only by it, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the intervention of Turkish armed forces on the island.
"We are building the presidency building of Northern Cyprus (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – note ed.) and the Parliament building on the island. They are building a military base, we are building a political base," he added.
The Turkish head of state again ruled out any renewal of international negotiations on the future of Cyprus, except directly with the Greek Cypriot side.
"Honestly, we don't think it is possible to start a new negotiation process without establishing an equation where both sides sit on equal footing and leave the table on equal footing,”, he said.
Finally, he hails the “precious“ opposition presence in Nicosia on Saturday, represented by the leader of the main opposition People's Republican Party (PRP).
„I find the image of unity that we have presented as government and opposition valuable. He showed that the cause of Cyprus is not only ours, but also that of 85 million people“, i.e. of the entire Turkish population, notes AFP.
In 1974, Greek Cypriot nationalists and the then ruling dictatorship in Athens wanted to unite Cyprus with Greece, leading to a military coup on the island. To prevent unification with Greece, Turkey intervened with military forces on July 20, 1974. After these events, the island remained divided.
The Greek side characterizes the events of half a century ago as an invasion of the island by Turkish forces, while the Turkish side defines what happened as a “Cyprus peace operation”.
In 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was proclaimed in the northern part of the island, which is still recognized only by Turkey. Turkey still maintains more than 35,000 troops in the breakaway north of the island.
In 2004, the entire island was admitted to the European Union as a country. De jure the whole island has been a member of the EU since then, but EU law only applies in the southern part, meaning the island is de facto divided.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis separately attended events marking the 50th anniversary on both sides of the divided island, showing their support for each of the rival countries.