Cyprus

Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders have agreed to continue their talks next month in Switzerland to reach an agreement on reunification of the island before the end of 2016, the United Nations said Oct. 27 in Geneva.

Territorial trade-offs in a peace deal for ethnically-split Cyprus will be discussed by rival sides next month as they edge closer to a blueprint which will be put to referendum, officials say.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci will meet from November 7-11 at a location outside Cyprus to discuss territorial adjustments.

Cyprus talks will soon head to Geneva where discussions on territorial issues will be brought to the table. Shrugging all the warnings separating territorial aspects of the problem from the security and guarantees issues would weaken his hand, President Mustafa Akıncı not only agreed to split the two correlated issues, but also tried to present it to the Turkish Cypriot people as a success.

Proponents of the Annan Plan were using a very appealing slogan during the propaganda period for the April 24, 2004 referendum: "Yes be annem" (Say yes my mom).  It was the slogan of strong support for the Annan Plan mixed with the matriarchal spirit of the Turkish Cypriot culture.

The leaders of Turkish and Greek Cyprus are on the same page for a solution this year on the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, according to Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı. 

​Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı has said his administration cannot put a peace deal that does not contain a rotating presidency to a public vote.

The president of the European Parliament said on Oct. 11 that the European Union would welcome a reunited Cyprus. 

Martin Schulz's remarks came during the opening ceremony of a photography exhibition, "Beneath the Carob Trees: The lost lives of Cyprus," in Brussels. 

A solution in Cyprus will help ensure the world's energy security and access to energy sources, according to Mustafa Akıncı, the president of Turkish Cyprus.

Greece extended its perfect start to the World Cup qualifiers with a 2-0 win in Tallinn over host Estonia on Monday night. Both of its goals came from defenders.

Cyprus settlement efforts have entered a new phase, with the negotiating parties announcing last week that after a month of intensified high-level talks among leaders and chief negotiators, the negotiations would move to somewhere out of Cyprus for talks on territory in November.