April 28, 2021 Share
Three days of U.N.-mediated talks are under way to try and reunify the island of Cyprus, which has been divided between Greek and Turkish Cypriots since 1974. That was when Turkey invaded Northern Cyprus in response to a Greek-backed military coup on the island.
The Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, as well as foreign ministers of three guarantor States – Greece, Turkey and Britain, the former colonial ruler of Cyprus will be holding so-called informal talks over the coming days.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres convened this meeting to test the waters, so to speak. His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said the aim of the meeting is to determine whether there is enough common ground for the parties to negotiate a lasting solution to the Cyprus issue within a foreseeable horizon.
Last Updated On: Apr 27 2021 11:36 Gmt+3
The leaders of Greek and Turkish Cyprus, along with top diplomats from Turkey and Greece, are coming together for an informal meeting in Geneva on Tuesday.
The United Nations will seek to find a common ground between the two sides to resume peace negotiations. Talks on reunification were last held in Crans Montana, Switzerland almost four years ago.
The talks, hosted by the U.N., are due to conclude on Thursday.
Cyprus has been divided since Turkey invaded in 1974 in response to a brief Greek Cypriot coup aimed at uniting it with Greece. Numerous diplomatic efforts to reunify the Mediterranean island have failed.
Last Updated On: Apr 27 2021 01:57 Gmt+3
Is it possible to expect any concrete results from the informal Cyprus meeting that is being held in Geneva this week?
The Turkish Cypriot side has begun to play a new political game on the island, backed by Turkey’s insistence that the Cyprus problem can no longer be solved on the basis of a United Nations bi-zonal, bi-communal model. It is returning to the maximalist thesis of the 1990’s.
Meanwhile, the decision of the Greek Cypriot-controlled Republic of Cyprus to sign natural gas and joint security agreements with Egypt, Greece and Israel and the opening of Paphos Airport for the use of French warplanes also constitute steps boosting political tension and making a solution less likely.
UN chief ‘realistic’ at start of fresh bid to resolve Cyprus stalemate April 27, 2021
File photo shows the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) controls the buffer zone between the opposing sides. courtesy UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
GENEVA A fresh United Nations-led bid to seek to resolve decades of tensions in Cyprus began in Geneva on Tuesday, with Secretary General António Guterres “realistic” about the chances of making progress, his spokesperson said.
“The secretary general decided to organize this meeting following the consultations conducted over the past several months on his behalf by Under Secretary General Jane Holl Lute,” Stephane Dujarric told journalists at the UN Palais des Nations, referring to the veteran UN and former US government official who has been working to advance reconciliation.