Greek prime minister George Papandreou has pledged his government’s backing for a negotiated settlement on the divided island of Cyprus, calling on Ankara to withdraw its troops as an essential precondition for a settlement and for Turkey to advance in its European Union membership hopes.
 
Papandreou, who is also Greece’s foreign minister, was speaking on October 20 2009 while on a two-day visit to Cyprus.
 
Greece would not accept the continued division of Cyprus and would not be "mere observers" in efforts to negotiate a solution to the problem, which dates from 1974 when Turkey invaded in reaction to a coup on the island by supporters of union with Greece.
 
Cyprus joined the EU in 2004 but with only the southern Greek Cypriot part effectively as a member.
 
Turkey does not recognise Cyprus, and maintains troops in the northern half.
 
Negotiations between Cypriot president Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat have produced no real results.
 
Papandreou said that it was not acceptable that an EU candidate state – Turkey – was maintaining a military presence in an EU member state.
 
There was no alternative to reunification, Papandreou said.
 
At a meeting, Papandreou and Christofias agreed to co-ordinate their efforts to persuade Turkey to recognise Cyprus.
 
Christofias said that Cyprus supported Turkey joining the EU, but said, "we're not masochists. We can't accept Turkey proceeding to full union membership without first achieving a Cyprus settlement."
 
"We do not just want a settlement, we are pushing for one," Christofias said.
 
Greek daily Kathimerini, quoting diplomatic sources, said that there was likely to be a joint diplomatic effort by Greece and Cyprus aimed at getting EU member states to increase pressure on Ankara to conform to EU demands by recognising the Republic of Cyprus and opening up its air and sea ports to Cypriot aircraft and vessels.