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Rival leaders of divided Cyprus on Thursday agreed to a series of projects to boost mutual trust in hopes of getting long-stalled formal talks to resolve the island’s 51-year-old ethnic divide back on track.
Nicos Christodoulides, of the island Greek The President of Cyprus and Tufan Erhurman, the estranged leader Türkiye Cyprus agreed to work on a deal that would allow Turkish Cypriot makers of halloumi cheese, or helim in Turkish – a rubbery, squeaky cheese that is the island’s top export – to access European markets.
They also agreed to help speed up traffic at some of the nine busiest crossing points united nations The buffer zone that separates Greek Cyprus in the south – where the internationally recognized government sits – and Turkish Cyprus in the breakaway north.
They will also focus on completing the construction of pipelines from a water treatment plant in the north to supply water to Greek Cypriot farmers in the south, in line with an agreement that remained incomplete for a decade.
The announcement that leaders will work on putting these confidence-building measures on the ground offers some positive news to revive dormant talks. Last big effort for peace swiss The resort collapsed eight years ago amid a wave of accusations over who was to blame.
Christodoulides said after Thursday’s meeting that he was particularly pleased that much of the discussion “after a long time” also addressed the main issues of the long-running dispute.
Speaking after the meeting, Erhurman said these were “the first steps” towards full negotiations and stressed that the ground must be prepared adequately so that negotiations can lead to a comprehensive peace agreement. He said that Greek Cypriots’ acceptance of the “political equality” of Turkish Cypriots is a prerequisite for resuming negotiations.
Aleem Siddiqui, spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping force on the island, said in a statement that the leaders agreed that “confidence-building measures are important to create a conducive environment but are not a substitute for achieving a solution to the Cyprus problem.”
Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded in the wake of an Athens junta-backed coup seeking to unify Cyprus with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared independence in 1983 and are recognized only by Türkiye. More than 35,000 Turkish troops are deployed in the breakaway north.
Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but only the south enjoys full membership benefits.
A peace agreement in Cyprus would help unlock the full energy potential of the Eastern Mediterranean, including expanding exploration of the massive natural gas reserves off Cyprus.
A turning point in rejuvenating peace efforts came in October when Turkish Cypriots elected the moderate Ersin Tatar as their leader in a landslide victory over the radical Ersin Tatar. Tatar’s insistence on effectively dividing the island into two states – a position supported by Türkiye – was seen as a non-starter by Greek Cypriots.
Erhurman supports a UN-backed peace framework for a peace agreement that envisions a federal Cyprus composed of the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot regions. But challenges remain, including minority Turkish Cypriot demands for a permanent Turkish military presence, military intervention rights for Turkey and veto powers on all government decisions – demands that Greek Cypriots have rejected.
The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to attend a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, which they hope could signal the resumption of full peace talks.