FM Çavuşoğlu: No time for years-long talks on Cyprus

Turkey wants result-oriented negotiations on Cyprus, not talks that drag on for years, the country's foreign minister said on Friday.

"We need to see the realities. We have no time or energy for years of negotiations," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said after receiving an honorary doctorate at Girne American University in Girne, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

"We have seen that it is pointless to be bound by a single option with a patronizing approach," he said, stressing that all options must be discussed.

Çavuşoğlu said that Greek Cypriots apparently were not ready to share anything with the Turks at the 2017 talks in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, which ended in failure.

"Starting new negotiations, without recognizing these facts, is nothing but a pipe dream," he said.

Çavuşoğlu said at those talks no progress was made on the issues of administration, power sharing, political equality, or property, adding that in fact the Greek side took steps "backwards" and continues to do so.

- GREEK CYPRIOT SIDE 'NOWHERE NEAR SOLUTION'
At those talks the Greek side began stipulating harsh conditions in areas such as authorization sharing and Turkish participation in decision-making, said Cavusoglu.

But Turkish Cypriot officials were at the table for a federal solution with specified parameters, he said.

"The Greek Cypriot side has not come near a solution, and will not in the coming process," Çavuşoğlu said, underlining that this "reality" was seen by the UN secretary-general, the U.K. as guarantor state, and the EU as an observer.

Cyprus was divided into a Turkish Cypriot state in the north and a Greek Cypriot administration in the south after a 1974 military coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks and Turkey's intervention as a guarantor power.

The status of the island remains unresolved in spite of a series of negotiations over the years.

The initiative in Crans-Montana, Switzerland in July 2017 under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece, and the U.K. ended in failure.

- EQUAL ENERGY RESOURCE RIGHTS
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mustafa Akıncı, Çavuşoğlu said they all agreed that Turkish Cypriots also have rights to the natural gas resources around the island of Cyprus.

"Instead of unilateral drilling or seismic research, a common solution should be found and these resources should be explored and fairly shared," Çavuşoğlu said.

"If the Greek Cypriots continue unilateral activities [in the Eastern Mediterranean], Turkey will also continue protecting the rights of the Turkish Cypriots."

In early 2018, the Greek Cypriot administration unilaterally launched exploratory drilling activities for natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean despite strong opposition from Turkish Cypriots, who argue that the island's natural resources should be exploited jointly to ensure equal rights for both parties.