Turkish Cypriot President Dervis Eroglu on Thursday sought to ease tensions with Turkey which have remained high since a mass demonstration on January 28, when a group of Turkish Cypriots protested an austerity package backed by Ankara. “Relations with the motherland cannot break off. Exchange of remarks and messages between the two countries must end in the shortest possible time in order to get out of this atmosphere,” Eroglu said.
Turkey has reacted severely to the January protest and to the demonstrators who chanted slogans calling Turkey to “get its hands off the Turkish Cypriots.”
Eroglu said his duty was to exert efforts “leave the issue behind,” adding that “warm relations with Turkey” should again be restored.
AA