Turkish President Recep Erdogan said on Wednesday that Ankara would continue to support Turkish Cypriots and announced new infrastructure projects for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the Anadolu Agency reported.
"No initiative that ignores the sovereign equality, rights and legitimate interests of Turkish Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean will succeed," Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting.
Recalling last week's commemoration of the 52nd anniversary of the "Cyprus Peace Operation" in 1974, Erdogan described July 20, 1974, as a "historical turning point" that guaranteed the existence, freedom and security of the Turkish Cypriots.
He said that Turkey, acting within its rights and responsibilities as a guarantor state under international agreements, had ended the suffering of the Turkish Cypriots and had "led to the establishment of peace and stability on the island".
He said the Cyprus issue went beyond the technical power-sharing dispute and focused on the recognition of the equal international status of the Turkish Cypriots.
"We are closely following every step of those who seek to make Cyprus part of new military alliances," he said.
Erdogan also welcomed the recent visit of UN Secretary-General António Guterres to the island - the first visit by a head of state UN envoy there for 16 years - saying that Turkey had consistently supported his peace efforts and would continue to consult closely with him.
He added that proposals to reduce the Turkish Cypriots to minority status had repeatedly failed and that only a just, lasting and sustainable solution could guarantee long-term peace on the island.