New Round of Cyprus Peace Talks in Switzerland to Be Final One - Turkish FM

© REUTERS / Denis BalibouseOverview at the start of the peace talks on divided Cyprus, under the supervision of the United Nations in the alpine resort of Crans-Montana, Switzerland June 28, 2017
Overview at the start of the peace talks on divided Cyprus, under the supervision of the United Nations in the alpine resort of Crans-Montana, Switzerland June 28, 2017 - Sputnik International
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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the new round of negotiations on the Cyprus's reunification should be the final one.

Men play backgammon in the Turkish Cypriots breakaway area at northern divided capital of Nicosia, Cyprus, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. - Sputnik International
Cyprus Talks: Turkish Cypriot 'Yes' Far More Likely Than Greek Cypriot 'Yes'
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The new round of negotiations on the Cyprus's reunification, which are currently being held in Switzerland's Crans-Montana resort, may bring the series of talks to a conclusion, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday, cited by local media, adding that Greece and Greek Cyprus should abandon their hopes for the withdrawal of the Turkish troops from the island nation.

"This conference on Cyprus is the final one and there should be a conclusion at this round in Crans-Montana," Cavusoglu said, as quoted by the Hurriyet Daily News.

He also criticized the demands of Greece and Greek Cyprus to withdraw Turkish troops from the island.

"The Greek side and Greece expect that… no Turkish soldiers will be left on the island… This is a dream. They should awake from this dream. We cannot continue negotiations forever," Cavusoglu told journalists, stressing that Turkey would not agree on complete withdrawal of troops.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades attend the Cyprus reunification talks at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, January 12, 2017. - Sputnik International
Next Geneva Talks on Cyprus May Take Place in Mid-June - UN Special Adviser
On Wednesday, the newest round of Cyprus talks under the UN auspices kicked off at the Crans-Montana resort on the Swiss Alps. The same day, UN Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said that the start of the new round of talks had "a remarkably positive attitude." The UN officials expect that main discussions will end on July 7.

The latest talks on Cyprus in Geneva took place in January. In February, Cyprus reconciliation talks were broken up when the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci, left from his bilateral meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader, Nicos Anastasiades, in protest of Cypriot parliament's decision to initiate school celebrations commemorating the 1950 referendum that sought the island nation's union with Greece.

Cyprus has been partitioned since 1974, when the Turkish forces occupied the northern part of the island. The troops proclaimed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983 in an attempt to save Cypriot Turks from attacks by Cypriot Greeks supported by Athens. The military presence of Greece and Turkey on Cyprus is one of the thorniest issues at the reunification talks.

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