Turkey's Erdogan, Cyprus president hold rare chat as Fidan heads to Athens
The chat comes at a time when Turkey is pursuing enhanced defense cooperation with Europe.
ANKARA — Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides had a rare informal meeting in Budapest on Thursday.
Their two countries do not have diplomatic ties, as the island remains ethnically divided between the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus, led by Greek Cypriots, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognized only by Ankara.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of a European summit hosted by Hungary. Images released by the Greek Cypriot side after the meeting showed a separate pull-aside between Christodoulides and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Christodoulides later told journalists in Budapest that he stressed the need to resume negotiations in order to find a solution to the decades-old Cyprus conflict, according to a transcript released on the website of the Greek Cypriot presidency.
