Cyprus invites Turkiye's Erdogan to summit despite long rift over 1974 invasion
NICOSIA: Cyprus said on Monday it would invite arch-foe Turkiye to a summit during its European Union presidency next year despite a decades-long rift over Ankara's 1974 invasion and its backing of a breakaway state on the divided island.
Nicosia will hold the rotating EU presidency in the first six months of 2026 and plans a summit of regional leaders, including Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, on issues related to the Middle East, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said.
'You can't change geography — Turkiye will always be a neighbor state to the Republic of Cyprus .. Mr.Erdogan will of course be welcome to this summit to discuss developments in the area,' he told journalists in Nicosia.
Christodoulides had earlier said the same in a British podcast aired on Monday in response to a question, saying the summit was planned for April 2026.
The Turkish presidency did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the invitation to Erdogan.
Cyprus and Turkiye have no diplomatic relations and hosting a Turkish president might prove challenging both because of the diplomatic tightrope arising from past conflict and logistical issues.
The eastern Mediterranean island was partitioned by a Turkish invasion in 1974 sparked by a brief Greek-inspired coup, and Ankara supports a breakaway, unrecognized state in north Cyprus where it stations thousands of troops.
Christodoulides heads a Greek Cypriot administration that represents all of Cyprus within the EU but with its powers stopping at a ceasefire line splitting the island into northern and southern sections. Erdogan has never visited the south.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Protesters Urge Wimbledon to Cut Ties with Barclays over Israel Business Deals
Pro-Palestinian protesters urged Wimbledon to drop Barclays as a sponsor Monday because of the British bank's business dealings with Israel. About two dozen protesters from Palestine Solidarity Campaign demonstrated by the main entrance of the All England Club as thousands of fans arrived for Day 1 of the tournament. 'They're the bank for the arms companies that are obviously supplying weapons to Israel,' protester Khalid Zalmay told The Associated Press. 'We should not be arming Israel, we should not be allowing anybody to facilitate arming them, and I think ties should be cut with Israel, the same way that ties were cut with Russia.' One protester held a sign that said Barclays is a 'sponsor of Wimbledon and genocide.' Barclays said it is 'proud of our partnership with Wimbledon' and defended its business practices. 'We provide a range of financial services and products to companies supplying defense products to the UK, NATO and its allies,' the company statement said. 'As NATO, the EU and UK seek to increase their defense capabilities in response to increasing geopolitical threats, the provision of financial products and services to the defense sector is becoming increasingly important.'
Saudi Gazette
7 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Turkish police detain dozens at banned Istanbul Pride march
ISTANBUL — Turkish police detained at least 30 people in central Istanbul on Sunday as they tried to take part in a Pride March, which authorities had banned as part of a years-long clampdown on LGBTQ+ events, Reuters reported citing an opposition politician. Footage obtained by Reuters showed police scuffling with a group of activists holding rainbow flags in the city center before rounding them up and loading them into police vans. Kezban Konukcu, a lawmaker from the pro-Kurdish DEM Party who attended the march, told Reuters that at least 30 people had been taken into custody. Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Istanbul governor's office had earlier deemed the march unlawful and said groups promoting the event were operating 'illegally.' Authorities have banned Pride marches in Turkey's largest city since 2015, citing public safety and security concerns. President Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party has adopted increasingly harsh rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community over the past decade. In January, Erdogan declared 2025 the 'Year of the Family,' describing Turkey's declining birth rate as an existential threat and accusing the LGBTQ+ movement of undermining traditional values. 'The primary goal of the gender neutralization policies, in which LGBT is used as a battering ram, is the family and the sanctity of the family institution,' Erdogan said in January. Rights groups have condemned Turkey's stance. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have warned that government rhetoric and actions are fueling a hostile environment for LGBTQ+ people, contributing to rising discrimination and violence. Despite the bans, small groups of activists continue to mark Pride Week each year. Organizers say the increasingly aggressive police response reflects broader crackdowns on dissent and freedom of assembly in Turkey. — CNN
Al Arabiya
8 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Kremlin, asked about US sanctions bill, suggests it would impact Ukraine peace efforts
The Kremlin said on Monday that it had taken note of comments made by US Senator Lindsey Graham who is sponsoring a tough new sanctions bill on Russia and that its backers should consider its impact on efforts to reach a peace deal on Ukraine. Graham said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that President Donald Trump had told him that the sanctions bill - which would impose 500 percent tariffs on countries like China and India that buy Russian oil - should be brought forward for a vote. Graham called Trump's decision 'a big breakthrough' which he said was part of efforts to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table on Ukraine and give Trump 'a tool' to bring that about. He stressed however that Trump had a waiver and could decide whether or not to sign it into law if and when it passes Congress. Asked about Graham's comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia was aware of the US senator's stance and had taken note of his statement. 'The senator's views are well known to us, they are well known to the whole world. He belongs to a group of inveterate Russophobes. If it were up to him, these sanctions would have been imposed long ago,' said Peskov. 'Would that have helped the (Ukraine) settlement (process)? That is a question that those who initiate such events should ask themselves.'
