Erdogan says Turkey will not abandon the Turkish Cypriots as Guterres wraps up his Cyprus visit
Speaking after Wednesday's cabinet meeting in Ankara, President Erdogan said no initiative that ignores Turkish Cypriot sovereign equality, rights and legitimate interests in the eastern Mediterranean can succeed, and that Ankara would "never allow, no matter what the cost, for them to relive the old suffering". He described Turkey's role on the island as a matter of national security and confirmed plans for an undersea natural gas pipeline to the north. His remarks came hours after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres finished meetings with Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman and announced a new enlarged meeting, to be convened only once confidence-building measures and preparations for negotiations have made sufficient progress.