ANKARA – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday ruled out discussing a federal system to reunify Cyprus, insisting that a two-state accord is the only solution for the ethnically-split island.
In an address to legislators from his ruling party, Erdogan also took a swipe at Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accusing him of being confrontational and disrupting newly-resumed Greek-Turkish talks aimed at reducing tensions between the two neighbors. “There no longer is a way out for Cyprus other than the two-state solution,” Erdogan said in reference to a peace deal that would be negotiated between two equal sovereign states. “Whether you accept it or not, there can no longer be such a thing as a federation.” Erdogan said: