UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated on 29 July that he plans to bring together the leaders of divided Cyprus and the island’s three guarantor states – the United Kingdom, Greece and Turkey – for a new round of UN-led peace talks.
At a press conference in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, Guterres said he had received the agreement of the President of Cyprus, Nicos Christodoulides, and Tufan Erhürman, the political leader of the Turkish Cypriots, to resume talks in the ‘5+1’ format.
Guterres stated that resolving this long-standing conflict is of crucial importance not only for the people of Cyprus but also for regional stability.
Greek Cypriots advocate the reunification of the island as a federal state, an approach supported by the UN and the European Union. Turkish Cypriots and Turkey, however, advocate a two-state solution with flexible cooperation between the two sides.
Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, and the UK, Greece and Turkey were designated as guarantor states in its constitution.
The island has been divided since 1974, when, following a coup d’état carried out by Greek Cypriots, Turkey intervened militarily. In 1983, the northern part declared itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey.
Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004. Legally, the whole island is part of the EU, but EU legislation applies only to the southern, internationally recognised Greek Cypriot part.