Gerapetritis rebuts Erdogan call for two states in Cyprus

“Plans for a two-state solution are not on the agenda [of negotiations],” Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said in New York Tuesday.

Gerapetritis was responding to a call by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for international recognition of the breakaway Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus. Turkey is the only country to have recognized the so-called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” in the 40 years of its existence.

“We are totally aligned with the Cypriot government in promoting the idea of a unified Cyprus on the basis of the UN Security Council resolutions. We obviously support a single state based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation,” Gerapetritis said.

Earlier Tuesday, Gerapetritis had met with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, to prepare Wednesday’s meeting between Erdogan and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on the sidelines of the United Nations’ annual General Assembly.