According to sources, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is leaning towards meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras ahead of the multilateral summit in Geneva, Switzerland where he is set to discuss the Cyprus issue in the latest round of talks on January 12. It is reported that President Erdogan wishes to discuss the progress of the Cyrpus talks with Tsipras.
The same sources have reported to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini that officials in Ankara are insisting that Turkish military troops remain on Cyprus as a condition of the settlement.
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has repeatedly said that the troops must be evacuated off the island in order for a peaceful and lasting solution to take place, but that he would consider a transitional period until the complete withdrawal is achieved.
The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish military troops occupied the northern third of the island. The UN-backed Cyprus Talks came to an impasse as the two sides could not come to agreement on territory and security last month.
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