United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will host talks next week in Geneva to discuss the future of Cyprus, as opposing views on the island’s political status remain deeply divided.
"The Secretary-General will bring together the two Cypriot leaders and the guarantor powers—Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom—for an informal meeting on Cyprus at the UN Office in Geneva on 17th - 18th March.
"The informal meeting ... will provide an opportunity for a meaningful discussion on the way forward on the Cyprus issue," said U.N. spokesperson Michele Zaccheo at a Geneva press briefing on Friday.
Cyprus has been embroiled in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite repeated UN-led diplomatic efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement.
The talks are seen as a way to try to break a deadlock in peace negotiations that stalled in 2017.
TRNC Foreign minister, Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, downplayed the likelihood of progress.
"The Greek Cypriots want to use the opportunity (meeting) to ... pick up the negotiation from where they were left off (in 2017)," Ertuğruloğlu told Reuters recently. "For us, it is an opportunity to reiterate how we see the way forward: two separate, sovereign, equal states."
"There is no likelihood of establishing a partnership with the Greek Cypriots so why bother? Why insist on a proven failure of a formula? It's our question to the United Nations," he added.
Ahead of the Geneva talks, President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Ersin Tatar reiterated that sovereign equality and equal international status are prerequisites for any negotiations. He stated that a federation-based solution is no longer viable.
Last Saturday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with President Nikos Christodoulides at Maximos Mansion, highlighting the alignment between Athens and Nicosia.
"I want to reiterate my appreciation for your efforts to keep this dialogue alive and achieve a fair and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue, always based on United Nations resolutions," Mitsotakis told the Cypriot president.
Christodoulides stated that he had "a clear plan and strategy" for the upcoming Geneva talks. "We know exactly what we want—to resume talks from where they were suspended in the summer of 2017, utilizing the progress made in negotiations, with the sole aim of resolving the Cyprus issue based on the agreed framework, principles, and values of the European Union," he added.
A Turkish Cypriot breakaway "state" declared in the north is recognised only by Turkey, while the Republic of Cyprus has an internationally recognised government led by Greek Cypriots. Cyprus is also an EU member since 2004.
Armenia has proposed elevating its cooperation with Cyprus to the level of a strategic partnership, a move positively received by Cypriot officials.
DiCarlo will meet "with the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders", UN spokesman announced.
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At least 13 people have died and six others are missing after a stone quarry collapsed in West Java, Indonesia, on Friday morning, local officials confirmed.
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Canada is facing a growing wildfire crisis, with 175 active blazes across the country—95 of them uncontained—prompting evacuations, military support, and state of emergency declarations.
The US has urged Australia to boost its defense spending as Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles confirmed that nuclear submarine development is progressing well.
On Friday, Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy held a phone call to discuss efforts to end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, according to diplomatic sources.
Canada is facing a growing wildfire crisis, with 175 active blazes across the country—95 of them uncontained—prompting evacuations, military support, and state of emergency declarations.
The US has urged Australia to boost its defense spending as Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles confirmed that nuclear submarine development is progressing well.
On Friday, Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy held a phone call to discuss efforts to end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, according to diplomatic sources.
Pakistan has announced it will appoint an ambassador to Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021, becoming the fourth country—after China, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan—to do so.
At least 13 people have died and six others are missing after a stone quarry collapsed in West Java, Indonesia, on Friday morning, local officials confirmed.
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