Greek PM says Turkey ‘continues to provoke’ over Cyprus

Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday that Turkey “continues to provoke” in its approach towards the ethnically divided island nation of Cyprus.

The PM made the comments during a meeting with visiting Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, the first foreign head of state to visit Athens since Mitsotakis won elections in July.

The visit comes a day after efforts to restart negotiations to reunify the island hit a snag. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Greek Cypriots had to agree to Turkish Cypriots having decision-making parity in governing the country before talks could resume, AP reported.

He also said Turkey’s drilling for natural gas in waters where Cyprus’ internationally recognized government has exclusive rights would continue as long as Greek Cypriots reject a proposal to jointly run a hydrocarbons search with the breakaway Turkish Cypriots.