A leader of the breakaway Turkish north of ethnically divided Cyprus was in Washington on Thursday looking for ways to revive stalled reunification talks with the Greek south.
Irsen Kucuk said he sees opportunities to move toward a settlement this year and wants help from the U.S.
“We believe that 2013 could be a very conducive time to push things in the right direction,” he said in an interview, speaking through an interpreter. “We are expecting positive contributions from the U.S. ”
Kucuk’s meetings with U.S. officials this week follows a visit last week by the foreign minister of the internationally recognized south, Ioannis Kasoulides. The issue is also expected to come up when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with President Barack Obama this week.
Turkey doesn’t recognize Cyprus as a sovereign country and has bristled at the south’s push to exploit large gas fields off the island. Turkey is also building a pipeline to carry water to the parched north. Despite tensions over gas and water, Kucuk said that the issues also offer new incentives for a settlement.
“Both issues need either a comprehensive settlement or a temporary arrangement that will allow both parties to exchange these resources,” he said.
But he also acknowledged that the south’s deep financial crisis has hindered Cypriot president Nicos Anastasiades from moving forward.
“Since he found himself in a deep economic crisis, he has been showing reluctance to set up a calendar to resolve matters,” Kucuk said
Edmonton Journal