Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, posed another challenge to the international community – he visited last Sunday the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), promised to “get justice” for the Turkish Cypriots and announced the continuation of exploration in the Mediterranean Sea, which is opposed by the European Union. Cyprus and Greece called this visit a provocation.

“Today Cyprus has two separate peoples, two separate democratic systems and two separate states. The decision to establish two sovereign states must be discussed and agreed upon,” Erdogan said, speaking in the Turkish part of Nicosia at a rally dedicated to the 37th anniversary of the self-proclaiming of the TRNC.

In his speech, Erdogan called the priority “to achieve a just, permanent and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue in such a way as to ensure the legitimate rights and security of the Turkish Cypriot people” and noted that it is “the Greeks who do not want to share power” and to negotiate the distribution of hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean.

“We can no longer tolerate these diplomatic games,” the Turkish president said and promised that there would be no peace and stability in the region “without taking into account the just interests of our country and the TRNC. According to him, Turkey will continue seismic exploration and drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean until a fair agreement is reached.

These actions cause not only sharp criticism from Athens and Nicosia, but also negative reaction of the whole EU, which threatens Ankara with sanctions. Erdogan’s visit to northern Cyprus has jeopardized UN plans to resume negotiations to resolve the Cyprus issue.