Cypriots have "no other option" but to unite their country, President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Christodoulides said.
The country has been divided since Turkish troops invaded its north 50 years ago.
Christodoulides assured the press that "there is no other option" but reunification after attending commemorative ceremonies in Nicosia, the world's last divided capital, AFP reported.
The island of Cyprus has been divided since Turkey invaded its north on July 20, 1974 in response to a coup d'état carried out by Greek Cypriot nationalists to annex the country to Greece.
As the only internationally recognised state, the Republic of Cyprus exercises its authority only over the southern part of the island, which is separated by a UN-controlled buffer zone from the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognised only by Ankara.
For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is on a visit to the TRNC, said he saw "no benefit" in resuming UN-sponsored talks - the last round of which took place in 2017 - aimed at ending the division of the Mediterranean island.
"Whatever Erdogan and his representatives in the occupied areas do or say, 50 years later Turkey remains responsible for the violation of the human rights of the entire Cypriot people and for the violation of international law," Christodoulides said.
"For our part, we know very well what we want and how to achieve it," he added, assuring that he wants to "do everything possible to liberate and unite our land." | BGNES
