Cyprus made up of 'two separate states', says Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Cyprus was made of "two separate states". His comments came during his visit to the breakaway Turkish held northern part of Cyprus island. The visit has already been decried as "provocation" by Cyprus. Erdogan's comments have further diminished hopes of reunification of the island into a single country.

"There are two peoples and two separate states in Cyprus," said Erdogan. "There must be talks for a solution on the basis of two separate states."

During his visit, Turkish jets left vapour trails in the sky in the shape of the star and crescent of the Turkish flag -- mirroring a huge flag painted decades ago on a rocky mountainside in the north.

Erdogan's visit to the Turkish-held statelet recognised only by Ankara comes amid heightened tensions on the island and in the Eastern Mediterranean and was condemned as a "provocation without precedent" by the Republic of Cyprus.

His trip marked the 37th anniversary of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) where an estimated 30,000 Turkish troops are stationed. TRNC has recognition only from Turkey.

The Turkish president was later to attend a "picnic" in the disputed beachfront area of Varosha along the UN buffer zone that has divided the island since Turkey's invasion.

(With AFP inputs)