UN: Cyprus Leaders Fail to Agree on Unification Talks Resumption

President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and President of partially recognized Republic of Northern Cyprus Mustafa Akinci had a meeting but did not reach agreement on resuming the talks on unification of the island, the UN mission in Cyprus said in a statement.

ATHENS (Sputnik) – The leaders are said to have confirmed joint commitment to find a solution “in the best interest of all Cypriots, taking into account the concerns of both communities.”

“Tonight, the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Mustafa Akıncı, and the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, had an open and constructive exchange about the challenges experienced over the last months … As the two leaders will be abroad in the coming days, the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General, Mr Espen Barth Eide, will be continuing his interaction with them in order to lay the groundwork for the resumption of the negotiations as soon as possible,” the statement said.

The previous round of Cyprus reconciliation talks on February 16 ended abruptly, with the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots blaming each other for the early departure.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey occupied the island's north, later proclaiming the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) there. The TRNC is recognized only by Turkey, which maintains its military presence there.