Mehmet Ali Talat, who served as Turkish Cypriot leader between 2005 and 2010, has said the Turkish Cypriots have “never been in such a bad situation” as they are today.

“Everything [in the north] is in a chaotic state. There are serious problems in every domain, from the Cyprus problem to daily life,” he said in a TV interview.

“People are struggling to make ends meet. We have probably never been in such a bad situation. Things are also being managed badly,” he added.

Turning his attention to the Cyprus problem, Talat said “no one met” with current Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar at the recent United Nations General Assembly “because of the position he defends”.

“It has been recorded at the UN Security Council that a solution in Cyprus cannot be based on two states. If Tatar still advocates for a two-state solution despite this, who would he meet with?” he asked.

“[Late Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf] Denktash used to meet. He would never say ‘if you do not recognise the two states, I will not meet with you.’ He never ran away from the negotiating table.”

On future prospects for the Cyprus problem, he said “we will probably have to wait for President Tatar to leave office for there to be a new development on the Cyprus problem.”

He added that Turkey is “not expected to make a move” on the matter and that “in any case, Turkey would find itself in a very serious impasse.”