MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On January 9-11, inter-communal talks under the auspices of Espen Barth Eide, the special adviser of the UN secretary-general on Cyprus would be held, while on January 12 an international conference with the participation of Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, which are countries-guarantors of the deal, is set to be held. The EU delegation headed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker would also take part in the negotiations.
On Saturday, UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarriche said that Cyprus peace negotiations were at a critical stage as the parties began focusing on issues related to security and guarantees.
Cyprus has been partitioned since 1974, when Turkey occupied the island's north, later proclaiming the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Turkey maintains military presence in TRNC, which is only recognized by Ankara as an independent state.
7 January 2017, 21:12 GMT
On December 1, Akinci and Anastasiades met in a UN-protected buffer zone with participation of Eide and exchanged opinions on further steps to resolve the border dispute after the latest round of UN-backed talks on the reunification of Cyprus failed in late November.
On December 30, Eide said that the country had a "historic opportunity" for reunification in 2017.
Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!
