Greek and Turkish Cypriots meet in Geneva for talks

Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots meet in Geneva for talks Keystone-SDA

Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders are meeting for talks in Geneva to discuss a solution for the Mediterranean island, which has been divided since 1974 following a Turkish military invasion.

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UN Secretary-General António Guterres hosted a dinner on Monday evening ahead of an informal meeting on Tuesday to try to get negotiations on the island’s future back on track.

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“I am very confident,” the president of the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, told the Keystone-SDA news agency on his arrival. He added: “We must forget the past and look to the future.” Tatar insists on his demand for two separate states.

In recent weeks, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, has claimed to him that he has a clear plan, namely a state with two communities, as envisaged by the UN Security Council.

UN wants undivided island

Decades ago, the UN Security Council reaffirmed the territorial integrity and indivisibility of the Republic of Cyprus in a resolution and called for the immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops.

In addition to the two heads of government of Cyprus, the powers that have guaranteed the island’s security since 1960 are also present. The Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan are also taking part in the talks in Geneva, as is the British European Secretary Stephen Doughty.

This format is taking place for the first time in more than three years. However, expectations of possible progress are very low as both sides continue to cling to their different approaches to the island.

The government of the EU island republic in Nicosia, which is predominantly inhabited by Greek Cypriots, controls the south of the island. While the Turkish Cypriots are calling for a two-state solution in their so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognised by Turkey, the Greek Cypriots and the UN are backing reunification.

Translated from German with DeepL/mga

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