Cyprus negotiators to visit Athens, Ankara

Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot negotiators were expected to visit Greece and Turkey in the last week of February, after a fresh round of Cyprus peace talks was launched on Tuesday, it emerged on Friday.

Greek Cypriot negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis and his Turkish counterpart Kudret Ozersay were expected to meet with officials in Athens and Ankara after holding a new meeting at the United Nations Protected Area in Nicosia on February 19.

The peace talks resumed on Tuesday following a joint communique issued by Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Dervis Eroglu.

In the statement Anastasiades and Eroglu noted that the settlement would be based on a “bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality… with constituent Greek and Turkish Cypriot states.”

On Wednesday, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said he had “guarded optimism” that the UN led peace process could put an end to 40 years of division.

Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 in response to a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at uniting the east Mediterranean island with Greece.