Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed his country's support for a two-state solution in Cyprus. Erdogan called on the international community to accept the existing division on the Mediterranean island, AFP reported.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Turkish invasion followed a coup in Nicosia backed by Greece's then military junta. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, declared in 1983, is recognised only by Ankara.

"We fully support the vision based on the two-state solution," the Turkish president said during a visit to North Cyprus marking 51 years since Turkish troops invaded the island.

"It is time for the international community to come to terms with the realities on the ground," Erdogan added.

The Turkish leader's visit comes a few days after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said meetings between the rival Cypriot leaders at the organisation's headquarters in New York had been "constructive", even if questions remained over the island's crossings.

Erdogan called for an end to the isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

"Diplomatic, political and economic relations must be established with the TRNC, and the injustice Turkish Cypriots have endured for decades must finally come to an end," he said.

The last major round of peace talks failed in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in July 2017 | BGNES