1st LD Writethru: Turkey aims at finding Cyprus solution this year: FM

Turkey aims at finding a solution to the long-standing Cyprus problem by the end of 2016 despite a failure of reunification negotiations earlier this week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a short visit to the northern part of the island on Friday.

Cavusoglu conferred with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on the next steps after Akinci and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades failed to strike an agreement on territorial adjustments in their negotiations in Switzerland.

"Turkey fully supports the process and will do so in the coming days. We want the negotiations to achieve the target of a solution in 2016," said Cavusoglu.

He added that Turkey wants a roadmap to be drawn which will include a five-party conference on security arrangements and guarantees.

Akinci said that the negotiations in the Swiss resort of Mont Pelerin failed because the Greek Cypriot side wanted an agreement on territorial adjustments and on the number of displaced Greek Cypriots who will return to their towns and villages before a wider conference is convened to discuss security arrangements.

The territorial adjustments refer to the size of territory occupied by Turkish troops in 1974, in reaction to a coup by the military rulers of Greece at the time, which will be returned to Greek Cypriots after a solution is found. Endit