Cyprus leaders pledge to find agreement as soon as possible

Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot leaders vowed to seek agreement on ending the island’s four-decade division “as soon as possible,” relaunching peace talks Tuesday after nearly a two-year hiatus.

Nicos Anastasiades and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Dervis Eroglu endorsed a road map for the relaunch of the U.N.-brokered talks at a meeting in the buffer zone that divides the capital.

“I hope that today will be the beginning of the end to an undesirable and unacceptable situation that has kept the island and our people divided for 40 years,” Anastasiades said.

Speaking in Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan was also hopeful that the Mediterranean island’s division could be ended.

“We are heading toward a new process in Cyprus. God willing, there will be no backpedalling and we will solve the Cyprus problem,” Erdogan said.