(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) The Turkish and Greek foreign ministers have voiced their desire Tuesday to settle the Cyprus dispute in 2015.
During a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias in Ankara, Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey's main aim is to bring Greek and Turkish people "as close as possible," and to make Aegean Sea "a peaceful sea."
"We expect the same dedication from Greece and Greek Cypriots on the issue in order to finalize a permanent and a peaceful deal for the island in 2015, within the scope of the February 2014 declaration."
A joint declaration was made on Feb. 11, 2014, between Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and the president at the time of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Dervis Eroglu, on the start of renewed negotiations to settle the Cyprus dispute.
Peace negotiations over Cyprus between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot administrations are to resume on May 15, the UN's Special Advisor Espen Barth Eide said on Sunday.
"We want a Cyprus who has good relations with Turkey and Greece and a Cyprus who does not need guarantor countries," the Greek foreign minister said.
Peace talks were unilaterally suspended by the Greek Cypriot administration last October after Turkey issued an advisory on behalf of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus for seismic research off the coast of Cyprus.
The island was divided into a Turkish Cypriot government in the northern third and Greek Cypriot administration in the southern two-thirds after a 1974 military coup by Greece was followed by the intervention of Turkey as a guarantor power in Cyprus.
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