ALBAWABA - The UN Chief Antonio Guterres has declared his intention to convene new international talks over the issue of a divided Cyprus.
The Cyprus conflict is multi-faceted, involving the Greek and Turkish sides of the island along with the countries of Greece and Turkey which back each side respectively; along with the United Kingdom which maintains two military bases on the island, Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
"I have the consensus of both sides and the guarantors to move into a 5-plus-1 meeting but with adequate preparation," Guterres said, without giving a specific date for the talks.
The issue has long been an obstacle in Turkey’s path to an EU membership, Turkey maintains that the only path to solving the issue is a two-state solution while the EU vehemently rejects any move that legalizes the divide between the northern and southern parts of the island.
The previous peace attempts, notably the 2004 Annan Plan for Cyprus, have not resulted in any meaningful end to the dispute; Cypriots are eager to see if this round of talks will bear any fruit that results in ending the half a century long conflict.
