Turkish FM advises U.S. to maintain balance in Cyprus issue

By Azernews

By News Center

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has urged the U.S. to maintain the balance in the Cyprus issue, Yeni Shafak newspaper has reported.

Cavusoglu made the remarks at a press conference after his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"We have nothing to be ashamed of. The U.S. has always pursued a balanced policy towards Greece and Cyprus. I told the US Secretary of State that they had lost this balance and that they should maintain it," he stressed.

Commenting on the standing ovation of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and scandalous Cyprus remarks at the US Congress, Cavusoglu said that the entire world is familiar with Greece and Cyprus, and the UN is fully aware of it. Everyone also knows who has consistently rejected all ideas for the past 55 years.

Evaluating the Greek prime minister’s remark about the unacceptability of the two-state solution for the Cyprus issue, Cavusoglu said that it is not so important for the congress members to applaud Mitsotakis.

"Everyone who speaks in the US Congress is applauded. This is a tradition. We have nothing to be ashamed of. They [the U.S.] always pursued a balance in their Greek and Cyprus policies. I told Blinken that they had lost this balance and that they should preserve it. He said they would,” Cavusoglu said.

He underlined that there are always preparations for elections in America and the election atmosphere never ends in the country.

"Therefore, we should not act as if there is an election today and there will be an election tomorrow. We and the US administration both know the importance of Congress. If we act according to the elections and the situation in Congress, we cannot take steps forward. If we are constructive and sincere in all matters, we will achieve results. I don't test anyone's sincerity. When they don't keep their word, we say it openly. We started a process; the strategic mechanism proposal came from [U.S. President] Biden. We will see their sincerity in practice. If we can take steps in this direction, sincerity will emerge. It would not be appropriate to say that I do not find it sincere,” the Turkish FM stated.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed the U.S. Congress after his meeting at the White House as part of his visit to the U.S., on May 17. Mitsotakis, who openly ignored the Turkish presence in the region and said that a two-state solution for Cyprus is “unacceptable”, was applauded by members of Congress.