Athens has reacted to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), saying his visit to the island is “illegal” and his statements during the visit show that Turkey will continue to pursue an “aggressive policy” against Greek Cyprus.

In a written statement released on Monday on the Greek Foreign Ministry’s website, spokesperson Konstantinos Koutras commented on the remarks Erdoğan made concerning his visit to the KKTC.

“The newly elected president of Turkey, Mr. Erdoğan, carried out an illegal visit to the occupied section of Cyprus, making disappointing statements that simply confirm Ankara’s persistence in its aggressive policy against the Republic of Cyprus,” Koutras said, adding that Greek Cyprus is a member state of the European Union, to which Turkey has applied for membership, and that “Turkey’s European course passes through the recognition of” Greek Cyprus.

After his inauguration on Aug. 28, Erdoğan paid his first visit abroad as president of Turkey to the KKTC on Monday in a bid to show Ankara’s solidarity with Turkish Cypriots. During his visit, Erdoğan called on Greece, as a guarantor country in the dispute, to “fulfill its duty” as Turkey does, saying that the window of opportunity will not remain open forever. He also criticized Greek Cyprus for its lack of will to achieve reconciliation during a press conference in İstanbul. He said that the Cyprus problem can be solved through reciprocal good will; however, Greek Cyprus has never adopted a “positive approach” towards reunification.

Koutras also responded to Erdoğan’s call for Greece to play a more conciliatory role, saying that Erdoğan is attempting “to equate certain of Greece’s international obligations with Turkey’s heavy burden of responsibility regarding the Cyprus issue.” He added that any such correlation is “historically and legally groundless and, thus, politically unacceptable” and underlined that Turkey bears responsibility for ending the “illegal military occupation and ongoing crime of settlement” in Cyprus.

“Moreover, if Turkey wants, as it claims, to facilitate the negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus issue, it should, without any further delay, proceed to practical moves of good will, comply with the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights [ECtHR], and end any illegal or provocative activity in the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf,” the Foreign Ministry official stated.

Cyprus has been divided between the Greek Cypriot south and the Turkish Cypriot north since 1974, when Turkey sent troops to the island in the aftermath of a Greek-inspired coup that sought to unite the island with Greece. The Greek Cypriot administration is internationally recognized as representing the entire island, while only Turkey recognizes the KKTC.

Reunification talks between Greek and Turkish Cyprus resumed at the beginning of this year; however, they haven’t produced any result thus far. Negotiations have repeatedly stumbled over issues ranging from power sharing to redrawing territorial boundaries, as well as property claims of tens of thousands of displaced persons.