'Difficult, but not impossible', historic talks on unifying Cyprus begin
- 7 years ago
Leaders from Cyprus have begun three days of meetings in Geneva with the aim of reuniting the island after decades of division.
Mustafa Akinci, the northern Cypriot leader and President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasides are hoping to succeed where others have failed in the past 42 years.
Senior UN Envoy Espen Barth Eide called the meetings ‘the final moment.’
He told a news briefing “It’s going to be difficult, but not impossible.”
“If it succeeds I think this is historic for the Cypriots, they have been trying for several generations to solve this problem of a divided island but I also think it would send a very strong signal to a conflicted world.”
It is hoped the presidents of both Greece and Turkey will travel to the Swiss city later in the week. Alexis Tsipras and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have reportedly already spoken on the phone to stress the need for constructive talks if there is to be a positive outcome.
Mustafa Akinci, the northern Cypriot leader and President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasides are hoping to succeed where others have failed in the past 42 years.
Senior UN Envoy Espen Barth Eide called the meetings ‘the final moment.’
He told a news briefing “It’s going to be difficult, but not impossible.”
“If it succeeds I think this is historic for the Cypriots, they have been trying for several generations to solve this problem of a divided island but I also think it would send a very strong signal to a conflicted world.”
It is hoped the presidents of both Greece and Turkey will travel to the Swiss city later in the week. Alexis Tsipras and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have reportedly already spoken on the phone to stress the need for constructive talks if there is to be a positive outcome.