Erdoğan meets Turkish Cypriot leader before Swiss talks

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met his Northern Cypriot counterpart Mustafa Akıncı in Istanbul on Nov. 5 ahead of peace talks scheduled between Nov. 7 and Nov. 11 in Switzerland.

Erdoğan and Akıncı agreed to stay determined to resolve issues through negotiations in the upcoming talks in Mont Pelerin.        

The two leaders also noted that negotiations were at a sensitive juncture, agreeing that a bi-zonal and bi-communal social structure must be legally secured and a system of guarantees must also be determined.        
Reunification talks between the Turkish and Greek communities on the island resumed in May 2015 following Akıncı's election and are expected to be resolved by the end of this year with the formation of a federal administration.        

Previous negotiations stalled in October 2014 due to a dispute over gas exploration.