Eurasia Press & News
The leaders of Turkish and Greek communities in Cyprus on Wednesday resumed the talks on reunification of the island following a two-month pause.
This is the first meeting of the newly elected Turkish Cypriot President Dervis Eroglu and the Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias.
The announcement of the meeting came following consultations between Alexander Downer, an adviser on Cyprus to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders earlier this week.
Downer met Monday with new Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu who said later that he was ready to resume talks from the point left by his predecessor Mehmet Ali Talat.
His election to the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community has aroused concerns that he would follow a hard-line policy, further complicating Turkey’s drive to join the European Union.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey militarily intervened and occupied the north of the island following a coup by a group of Greek officers.
