Following an intense series of talks in Mont-Pelerin between Nov. 7 and Nov. 11, Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders will return to Switzerland on Nov. 20 as negotiations facilitated by the United Nations (U.N.) look set to resume.
Meanwhile, speaking at the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus's (KKTC) 33rd anniversary on Tuesday, KKTC President Mustafa Akıncı said the time has come to reach a decision in the Cyprus peace talks.
He said, "It's time we reached a decision in these almost 50-year-old negotiations," further adding, "We are now close to the moment of making a decision in the talks, which we carried out in consultation with Turkey."
The Turkish Cypriot leader on Wednesday met the political party heads from the Republic's Parliament and provided information on the latest developments at the reunifications talks in the two-hour-long meeting.
Held at the KKTC's presidential palace, the meeting was attended by National Unity Party (UBP) Chairman Hüseyin Özgürgün, Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG) Chairman Tufan Erhürman, Democratic Party-National Forces (DP-UG) Chairman Serdar Denktaş, and Communal Democracy Party (TDP) head Cemal Özyiğit.
Speaking after the meeting, UBP's Özgürgün recalled the necessity of a peaceful resolution for the long-divided island and said, "The Greek Cypriots had never taken any [conciliatory] initiative in the last 48 years. But, now there should be no reason to not reach an agreement in this case, with them taking these initiatives."
Meanwhile, DP-UG head Denktaş, though there was no reason for the uncertainty to continue, urged KKTC citizens to remain patient toward a resolution until the end of 2016.
The Mont-Pelerin talks had been described as the last bumpy road before a final agenda was agreed, discussing sensitive topics like a dual structure for the society on the island through rotation of presidency, and issues of territory. Now the talks will resume on Nov. 20 with a view to reaching a final agreement.
If an agreement can indeed be reached in Switzerland, a multi-party summit is expected to be held to finalize the deal which will include Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, as well as the guarantor powers Turkey, Greece and the U.K.
Earlier on the reunification talks, outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama in a state visit to Greece had said, "A solution won't provide 100 percent of what either side wants, [and] there may be some mechanisms for a transition, from the status quo to the future that both sides envision, but I think it's achievable."
