Turkish Cypriot leader Tatar to meet UN chief for Cyprus talks
Jane Holl Lute (L), the United Nations special envoy on the Cyprus dispute, and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar talk in Lefkoşa (Nicosia), TRNC, June 22, 2021. (AA Photo)


As part of diplomatic talks on the Cyprus issue, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar will meet with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Brussels on Friday, the presidency said on Wednesday.

Guterres is also expected to meet with Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades on Friday.

On Tuesday, Tatar and Anastasiades had separate meetings with Jane Holl Lute, U.N. special envoy on the Cyprus dispute.

The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation of the island was followed by violence against the island's Turks and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and the U.K.