An admission

It was with raw sincerity that Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, tried to put an end to any expectations that existed for reaching a resolution of the Cyprus question – not only in the immediate future, but also in the long-term.

Cavusoglu said in no uncertain terms that anybody envisaging a removal of Turkish troops as part of any agreement to reunify the ethnically-divided island is “dreaming” and should “wake up.”

Adhering to long-held Turkish policies with regard to Cyprus, he “admitted” – when pressed by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias to explain why Ankara insists on the need for it to retain rights of military intervention – that troops must remain on the island in order for Ankara to use them as it sees fit.

He also said they will remain there indefinitely until the Turkish Cypriots feel safe. In other words, Turkey has no plans to leave Cyprus. 

Now at least the international community can see who is responsible for the perpetuation of this decades-long problem. Not that it wasn’t known before.