Turkish, Greek Cypriot leaders likely to meet soon

By Murat Demirci

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Leaders of long-divided Mediterranean island are likely to meet soon after of a UN report on Cyprus, said the president of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Tuesday.

A meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades is “possible” after the release of UN's Cyprus report in October, Mustafa Akinci told reporters at the Presidential Palace in Lefkosa.

“We would like to have this [meeting] to happen at a time not too far,” he added.

During the meeting with Anastasiades, Akinci said, he expects to determine the opening date of the Derinya and Aplic border crossings and announce it to .

“We want a peaceful future on this island,” Akinci said. “We do not want the continuation of status quo in Cyprus,” he added.

In September, following a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, Akinci said the report by Jane Holl Lute -- appointed by Guterres as the temporary advisor to conduct consultations on Cyprus -- was not ready yet.

He said the report was going to be submitted to Guterres in one or two weeks and to the UN Security Council on Oct. 15.

Akinci added that the report would be discussed on Oct. 30.

Cyprus was divided into a Turkish Cypriot state in the north and a Greek Cypriot administration in the south after 1974 military coup was followed by violence against the island’s Turkish people, and Turkey’s intervention as a guarantor power.

There has been an on-and-off peace process over recent years, the latest failed initiative having taken place in Crans-Montana, Switzerland in July 2017 under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and the U.K., collapsing earlier this year.