Cyprus Talks: Turkey blows hot, say Greeks are ‘dreaming’ if they want guarantees lifted

Turkey blows hot and has warned the Greek Cypriot side and Greece that they were “dreaming” when they push for lifting of all guarantees in Cyprus. 

Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu made the remarks when he was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the ongoing Cyprus Conference in Crans-Montana, Switzerland on Thursday.

The Greek side and Greece expect that all guarantees will be lifted and no Turkish soldiers will be left on the island, said Çavuşoğlu.

This a dream. They should awake from this dream, We cannot continue negotiations forever, Çavuşoğlu said.

Çavuşoğlu also called on the leadership of the Greek Cypriot side to bring “acceptable proposals” to the table.

Speaking on a report by Greek media claiming that there was an alleged plan by Turkey to cut it's troop numbers in Cyprus by 80 percent in the event of a solution, Çavuşoğlu said Ankara could not accept having “zero troops” in Cyprus.

The Turkish Cypriot side on the first day of the conference stressed the need of the “guarantee system” for security in a new, lasting partnership between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots, reports the Hürriyet Daily News.

Meanwhile, Cavusoglu has said that this was the last chance for a solution to the more than four decade old Cyprus problem.

We cannot continue negotiations forever,” Cavusoglu said.

This conference on Cyprus is the final one and there should be a conclusion at this round in Crans-Montana," he added.

Leaders of the divided Cyprus island along with representatives of the guarantor powers, including Greece, Turkey and the UK are all taking part in the UN-brokered international conference in Switzerland aimed at reunifying the country.