Turkish Cypriots

The Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders of the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus have taken to the airwaves together to send out holiday wishes in both Greek and Turkish for the first time.

In an unprecedented move, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades stood side by side on television on Thursday to issue the first-ever joint Christmas greeting with Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci. This move is a positive step in mediation for the ethnically divided nation.

Turkish Cyprus contractors have inked a deal with their Turkish counterparts to rebuild the "ghost town" of Varosha, as hopes of finding a peaceful solution to the Cyprus issue increased due to the accelerated talks between the leaders of the Turkish and Greek communities on the island.  

Did you see that photograph? It was not from Vietnam and the people in the photograph were not Vietnamese trying to escape American soldiers. Nor were they Turkish Cypriots running away from the Nikos Sampson-led Greek Cypriot hordes paid by Athens to annex the island to Greece. They were Turkish citizens trying to escape from a curfew to be imposed on their town within hours?

Today the European Commission approved the new financial assistance programme for the Turkish Cypriot community, worth €32 million from the EU budget.

This is the continuation of the successful Aid Programme promoting the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community, improving contacts between the two communities and bringing the Turkish Cypriots closer to the EU.

The time for concentrated peace talks in Cyprus, where the parties to the solution should be locked up in a room and not allowed out until they reach an agreement, was needed, according to the president of Turkish Cyprus. 

The U.N.'s top official on the Cyprus issue has vowed that a final deal to reunite the divided east Mediterranean island will avoid any repeat of the sufferings of Turkish Cypriots in the 1960s, saying a "solid conclusion on governance" will guarantee the security of both Turkish and Greek Cypriots.

The U.N. Secretary-General's Special Advisor on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, met with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu behind closed doors in Ankara late on Dec. 8, discussing the latest developments in talks to find a peaceful solution to the Cyprus issue.

A suspended water pipeline carrying fresh water in abundance to Cyprus from Turkey could be considered far bigger than anything else that has happened in the recent history of the island, including the Turkish intervention. Every drop of water pouring into the dam lake in northern Cyprus is like a precious gem generously presented by Turkey.

Peace is within reach in Cyprus, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said, a day before the two Cypriot leaders met on Dec. 4 as part of the peace talks.