Kokkina

By George Gilson

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar today threatened the Republic of Cyprus with a heavy price if it does not agree to the co-administration with Ankara of the island's huge hydrocarbons deposits.

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “dismay” over the decision of the Turkish-Cypriot leadership to hold the annual celebrations that commemorates the 1964 bombing by the Turkish Air Force (THK) of Tillyria in Cyprus!

Athens lashed out Tuesday against the annual celebrations of Turkish Cypriots marking 53 years since Turkish jets dropped napalm bombs on the island.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the celebrations, with the participation of Turkish-Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, were an "affront to international justice."

Turkey has set three conditions regarding security, land tradeoffs and a rotating presidency to achieve a solution on Cyprus, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Jan. 13, one day after a five-party conference over Cyprus ended without agreement but with a plan for officials to reconvene on Jan. 18 to tackle the thorny question of security.

The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated today that “we have made it clear to Greece and Cyprus that they should not been waiting a solution without Turkey as a guarantor. We will always be there”.

These were the conditions set by Turkey during the negotiations in Geneva about the Cyprus dispute, according to Reuters.