Greek Cypriot parliament

The Turkish government has endorsed a rather aggressive rhetoric on foreign policy over the past five or so years, but one issue stands out as an exception: Cyprus.

Recent news reports indicate that Greek Foreign Minister Nicos Kotzias sent a letter on April 7 to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in which he sharply criticized Espen Barth Eide, the U.N. chief's special adviser on Cyprus, accusing him, inter alia, of acting to promote the interests of the Turkish side.

July is a not an official but a "natural end-date" for a solution to be found in the more than 40-year-long Cyprus conflict, Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı has stated. 

The two Cypriot leaders on April 11 rebooted stalled U.N.-backed reunification talks for the island and agreed to pick up lost momentum after a two-month suspension.

Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı has warned Greek Cyprus ahead of a resumption of peace talks that if the natural resources drilling off the island starts before an agreement on the island then there will be new tensions, which he does not favor.

Just a few days before the stalled Cyprus peace talks are set to resume, the Greek Cypriot parliament overturned the law that called for the celebration of a 1950 referendum seeking unification with Greece to be celebrated in schools, the main cause that led to a breakdown in talks.

The two Cypriot leaders on April 2 failed to set a date to restart stalled peace talks on reunifying the island after meeting for dinner in the U.N.-controlled buffer zone, the United Nations said.

Turkey's top security board has stated that talks for the reunification of the Cyprus can only resume in the event that Greek Cyprus "takes steps to restore confidence." 

On the last day of March the Greek Cypriot House of Representatives will vote on a draft sponsored by the ruling Democratic Rally Party (DISI) to authorize the Education Ministry to decide on the days to be marked in secondary schools. The draft, which cleared the education committee last week, aims at leaving behind a controversy over a recent law that ordered the commemoration of a 1950 plebi

Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said he and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres share the view that progress in efforts to reunify the island is unlikely before next month's referendum in Turkey.