Former Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated that Anastasiades was the first to propose a two-state solution at the Crans-Montana talks in Switzerland. This claim is supported by TRNC President at that time, Mustafa Akıncı, Greek Cypriot diplomat Andreas Mavroyiannis, and former AKEL Secretary General Andros Kyprianou. They all confirmed that Anastasiades indeed had raised the idea of a two-state solution during the negotiations.
In a recent interview, Anastasiades once again denied discussing a two-state solution with Çavuşoğlu. However, Kibris Postasi has published information from the archives that contradict his statements. Andreas Mavroyiannis, who was present at the talks, admitted that Anastasiades had discussed the two-state solution with Çavuşoğlu before the critical negotiations in Crans-Montana. Andros Kyprianou also pointed out that Anastasiades’s actions had sparked Turkey’s interest in the two-state model.
Mustafa Akıncı had previously stated that Anastasiades had created confusion with various proposals, including two states, confederation, and different forms of federation. In January 2019, Akıncı mentioned that Anastasiades had told Çavuşoğlu that the Greek Cypriot community was not ready for power sharing and suggested a two-state solution.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu reiterated in 2021 that it was Anastasiades who first brought up the idea of a two-state solution, although Çavuşoğlu himself was open to discussing alternatives to a federation.
The controversy was further fuelled by Andreas Mavroyiannis’ comments on the podcast “Legal Matters”, where he recounted that Anastasiades had had a conversation with Çavuşoğlu about the two states on the eve of the final negotiations in Crans-Montana. This revelation has sparked significant debate in Southern Cyprus.
These testimonies collectively challenge Anastasiades’ denial, suggesting he indeed proposed a two-state solution, thus revealing inconsistencies in his public statements.
