There must be no intervention in procedure for new Turkish Cypriot leader, Spokesman says

Government Spokesman, Kyriakos Koushos, has reiterated the position of the government that there should be no intervention in any procedure for a new leader of the Turkish Cypriot community.

Invited to comment on a dispute between Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu, Koushos reiterated the government’s position and noted that “we hope that the leader to be elected will be in favour of continuing the dialogue on the basis of what has already been agreed and for the talks to resume at the point where they left off at Crans Montana, as was the outcome of the trilateral meeting in Berlin, in the presence of the UN Secretary General.”

Asked if there was a continuous intervention on behalf of Turkey in the affairs of the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus, Koushos said the position of the Greek Cypriot side was that there should be no intervention by anybody in procedures for a new leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.