Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı said his Greek Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades walked out of reunification talks “and slammed the door hard,” the Turkish Cypriot government said in a statement Friday.
Anastasiades “did not respect our sensitivities,” Akıncı said.
The alleged incident took place when a recent law passed by the Greek Cypriot parliament came up during negotiations on Thursday. Akıncı accused Anastasiades of getting up and leaving when the law was mentioned, and “slammed the door hard” as he left.
The law makes commemorating an unofficial 1950 plebiscite by Greek Cypriots to join Greece compulsory in schools.
Akıncı called on U.N. head António Guterres to force the Greek Cypriots to rescind the law, which he says âsows the seeds of divisionâ among young people.
Anastasiades declined to comment on the alleged incident, saying “I do not wish, in any way, to engage in an unnecessary blame game,” but did express his hope that negotiations would continue.
“I call on the Turkish Cypriot leader to be present at the next scheduled meeting so that through a constructive dialogue those conditions can be created that will allow us to be optimistic for a positive outcome,” Anastasiades said.
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