UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will to return to Switzerland to attend a Conference on Cyprus after a number of calls asking for his participation, UNSG spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a briefing on Wednesday.
"On Thursday he [Guterres] will be attending the conference on Cyprus that is taking place in Crans-Montana," Dujarric said. "There has been also a number of calls from the parties for him to return."
On June 30, Turkish and Greek Cypriots kicked off reunification talks at the Swiss Crans-Montana resort. Initially, UN officials expected the talks to end by July 7.
Cyprus has been partitioned since 1974, when Turkey occupied the island's northern part, later proclaiming the region the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Turkey maintains a military presence in TRNC, which is only recognized by Ankara as an independent state.
