Could we be drawing closer to a settlement on the Cypriot situation, and bringing an end to the last divided capital in the world?
A few moments ago, we were notified about the following statement posted to the website of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyrus:
1 December 2016 – Tonight, the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Mustafa Ak?nc?, met at the Head of Mission’s Residence in the UN Protected Area (UNPA) under the auspices of the Special Adviser of the Secretary General (SASG) on Cyprus, Mr. Espen Barth Eide.
The two leaders assessed the state of play of the negotiations and exchanged views on the way forward. The leaders have decided to immediately re-engage in their negotiations and have instructed their negotiators to continue meeting in order to achieve further progress on all outstanding issues interdependently. The leaders will also meet as required. In line with their joint resolve to reach a comprehensive settlement as soon as possible, they further decided that they will meet in Geneva on the 9th of January 2017. On the 11th of January, they will present their respective maps. From the 12th of January, a Conference on Cyprus will be convened with the added participation of the guarantor powers. Other relevant parties shall be invited as needed.
Ends
Due to the late hour of this release and with the Geneva conference coming up in a few weeks, expect this story to develop. Keep an eye on @onthisislandmag on Twitter for the latest.