Foreign relations of Cyprus

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has said the Cyprus talks, which are due to resume in Geneva on Nov. 20, have made considerable progress but there is still distance to cover before a final deal.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chair Öztürk Yılmaz has urged the government over the ongoing Cyprus reunification talks, saying it must not give concessions on key issues like Turkey's guarantor status, territory and property. 

The talks between Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci in Switzerland, far from the pressures of Cyprus, allow us to hope that a solution may be near. The road will be long but the fact that the thorny issue of territory is being discussed is encouraging.

A deal to unify Cyprus is within reach, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Nov. 7 as he opened a latest round of negotiations.

"The prospect of a solution in Cyprus is within their reach," said Ban as he opened a round of talks in a snow-bound hotel overlooking Lake Geneva in Switzerland on Nov. 7. 

"Expectations in both communities are high," he added. 

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı called Nov. 2 for "realism and reasonable" approaches from the Greek Cypriots ahead of U.N.-backed talks aimed at reunifying the Mediterranean island.

In the middle of a turbulent region, a glimmer of hope has appeared for a solution of the Cyprus problem after five decades of division. The next rounds of talks to hammer down the details of the most difficult issues in the negotiations - i.e. security, territory and the guarantees - will take place in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland, on Nov. 7-11.

A deal to find a peaceful solution to the more than 40-year-old conflict on the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus is closer than ever and could be clinched by the end of this year, a senior U.N. envoy said Nov. 1. 

European Commission sources says the representatives of the institutions have completed their mission in Athens, following constructive talks with the Greek authorities. The same sources added that both sides agreed to conclude the second review of the Greek programme as soon as possible. “The institutions will return in mid-November where talks will continue”, the sources said.

French Foreign Minister Jena-Marc Ayrault visited Turkish Cyprus on Oct. 25, holding talks with Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı, as peace negotiations to end the more than 40-year-old conflict continue. 

Ayrault and Akıncı held a closed-door meeting in Nicosia late on Oct. 25, the Turkish Cypriot Presidency said on its website.

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.