Cyprus peace process

Has there been any progress at the Geneva Cyprus talks? This is a very important question, the answer to which largely depends on which perspective one might wish to answer it from. Was it a success? Was it a failure?

Turkey's dismissal of the demand for a full withdrawal of its forces from divided Cyprus in the event of a settlement, and its overall attitude at the international summit in Geneva on Thursday, confirmed, Athens claimed on Friday, Ankara's unwillingness to be constructive in the bid for a solution.

Rival Cypriot delegations have failed to agree on maps for new borders on the divided island state, each slamming the other's proposals as "unacceptable," Turkey's foreign minister has said.

Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı on Jan. 13 said the map submitted by Greek Cypriots to the UN was unacceptable and the Turkish Cypriots would not sign anything that would not include rotating presidency. 

Turkey has set three conditions regarding security, land tradeoffs and a rotating presidency to achieve a solution on Cyprus, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Jan. 13, one day after a five-party conference over Cyprus ended without agreement but with a plan for officials to reconvene on Jan. 18 to tackle the thorny question of security.

A full withdrawal of Turkish troops from Turkish Cyprus is "out of the question," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Jan. 13, one day after the five-party conference over Cyprus ended without agreement but with a plan for officials to reconvene on Jan. 18 to tackle the thorny security question.

Today marks the fifth death anniversary of Rauf Denktaş, the founding president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Today may also be a new start for Turkish and Greek Cypriots. Thursday was a very important day for all Cypriots, irrespective of ethnical divides, and all those who are still bothered with the prospect of peace in the eastern Mediterranean island.

The United Nations' new secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, has urged the parties in the Cyprus peace talks in Geneva to be patient to reach a "solid and sustainable" solution, as the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders were accompanied by the foreign ministers of the three guarantor powers for the first time. 

Talks to resolve the division of ethnically-divided Cyprus have been showing encouraging results, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guturres said on Thursday, but cautioned against expectations of a quick fix.

"Turkey holds key at last-ditch Cyprus talks," was the headline of an analysis published in the EUObserver a few days before the intercommunal talks started in Geneva on Jan. 9.

From this headline you would assume that the Geneva talks are not negotiations or a give-and-take exercise between the two communities on the divided island, but it was an effort aimed at convincing Turkey.