Informal talks between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot representatives in Geneva failed to make headway on the future of the island of Cyprus, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/Reuters/AP/sb
Guterres travelled from New York to Geneva to oversee three days of informal talks from April 27-29. But he said they had not managed to overcome the differences between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot positions.
“The truth is that at the end of our efforts, we have not yet found enough common ground to allow for the resumption of formal negotiations,” Guterres told reporters in Geneva on Thursday.
“But I do not give up,” he added. “My agenda is strictly to fight for the security and well-being of the Cypriots—of the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots—that deserve to live in peace and prosperity together.”
Divided island
The strategically located island in the eastern Mediterranean, a former British colony, was split after a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. The seeds of division had been sown earlier, when a power-sharing administration of Greek and Turkish Cypriots crumbled amid violence, just three years after independence from Britain in 1960.
The UN is trying to broker a deal for the eastern Mediterranean island, nearly six decades since it first deployed peacekeepers. A UN-controlled buffer zone separates the Turkish-occupied zone from areas controlled by EU member the Republic of Cyprus.
Diplomats had been trying to break the deadlock in talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, which collapsed in 2017.
The latest Geneva talks were attended by the foreign ministers of Britain, Turkey and Greece, who are guarantor powers for Cyprus and still maintain intervention rights to restore any constitutional breakdown.
Guterres told reporters that the two sides, the three guarantors and the UN would meet again within two to three months, with the aim to pave the way for formal negotiations.
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
This content was published on
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
Migration: Swiss government wants to shorten reunification period for families
This content was published on
Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three.
This content was published on
2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars.
Swiss CFOs much more optimistic despite global uncertainty
This content was published on
The main concerns of business leaders in Switzerland are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China.
Record organ donation in Switzerland despite high rejection rates
This content was published on
More organ donations were recorded in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This was despite a high rejection rate of 58% by surviving relatives.
This content was published on
Seven years after the death of record-breaking Swiss mountain climber Ueli Steck, his estate is going to the Alpine Museum of Switzerland in Bern.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Cyprus talks to restart in Geneva after four-year stalemate
This content was published on
Representatives of Greek and Turkish Cypriots, as well as the three guarantor powers Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom will meet in Geneva at the end of April for informal talks.
UN chief warns not to ‘expect miracles’ over Cyprus
This content was published on
The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the talks in Geneva to resolve the division of the island of Cyprus are ‘close to a settlement'.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.