Cyprus dispute

July 20th marks another black anniversary of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus in 1974. 49 years later, the northern part of Cyprus remains illegally occupied. Endy Zemenides, the Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, joins Thanos Davelis to break down whether there is space for reunification talks to be revived, and what role the UN, EU and the US can play.

For Greece, the resolution of the Cyprus issue constitutes "a top national priority," Greece's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday, to mark the 49th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of 20 July 1974.

Separated by politics but united in pride, members of LGBTQ+ communities came together in celebration late on Saturday in the no-man's-land that splits Cyprus in two.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz has expressed a firm belief that Turkish Cyprus will gradually overcome the embargoes and embrace global connectivity.

His statement came during a joint press conference with Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar on June 19, where the two leaders discussed economic cooperation and the future of the north side.

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides reiterated his proposal for enhanced involvement of the European Union in the efforts to break the deadlock on the Cyprus problem, and in reunification talks should they resume, during his speech at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Poland and Spain have pulled their personnel from a Turkish-led military exercise over the presence of troops from the breakaway entity in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, military sources have said.

The exercise, named Anatolian Phoenix, is being held from June 6 to 16 in the Turkish interior.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reiterated that the only way for the resumption of talks for resolving the decades-old Cyprus problem is the recognition of Turkish Cyprus as an independent entity with international status.

Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides insisted on Wednesday that he is ready for a meeting with Turkish-Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar "even tomorrow."

Cyprus authorities say they're take extra efforts to ensure flight safety isn't compromised from Turkish warplanes and military drones flying inside Cypriot-monitored airspace without filing either flight plans or communicating with air traffic control.

Ankara has criticized the anchoring of USS Arleigh Burke, a United States Navy class of destroyer, at a Greek Cypriot port and said the steps taken in the region by the U.S. have damaged that county's long-standing neutral position on the Cyprus dispute.