Greek Cypriot administration leader Nikos Christodoulides reported "progress" after the United Nations hosted a meeting with Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar.
Cypriot leaders agreed Wednesday to press on with trust-building measures that could revive the abandoned peace process on the divided island, the U.N. said after a meeting in the capital, Lefkoşa (Nicosia).
The U.N. said that the two sides agreed to exchange information to allow for demining efforts, among other issues.
On the thornier issue of opening up more crossing points across the divide and solar energy projects in the buffer zone, the U.N. said further discussions would focus on "finding a mutually acceptable resolution."
"We have positive results," Christodoulides told reporters after the meeting, mentioning "certain commitments" that were made.
"Another positive step is that we are continuing," he said. "There has been progress."
Recently, Tatar said tangible developments had been achieved at the talks, including agreements to open four new crossing points, establish a technical committee dedicated to youth issues, and initiate collaborative efforts to address environmental and climate change challenges, including management of mining areas, solar energy projects within the buffer zone and restoration of cemeteries.
The two leaders, who have met several times in recent months, agreed to meet again soon, U.N. officials said.
There are currently nine crossings along the U.N.-patrolled Green Line that separates the two sides.
Calls have grown for more crossings along the 180-kilometer (110-mile) buffer zone to ease access for people in remote areas.
Despite thwarting attempts to form one, Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration supported a federation on the island, while Türkiye and the TRNC are now forced to insist on a two-state solution, taking into consideration the island's realities.
Ethnic attacks beginning in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. A pivotal moment came in 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at annexing the island to Greece triggered Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power, protecting Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. This intervention subsequently led to the establishment of the TRNC in 1983.
The island's status remains unresolved despite a series of negotiations over the years. In recent years, the island has seen an on-and-off peace process, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland.
The Greek Cypriot administration entered the European Union in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots thwarted the U.N.'s Annan plan to end the decades-long dispute, which had envisaged a reunited Cyprus joining the EU.
'Unacceptable messages'
Ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Vice Chairperson Kürşad Zorlu, on the other hand, slammed the messages and footage seen a day earlier when Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA) terrorist group supporters attacked Turkish Cypriots.
Saying that such messages “cannot be accepted,” Zorlu wrote on social media: “Provocative steps in these lands, which the Turkish Cypriot people own equally, only serve polarisation and deadlock instead of a real and permanent solution for the island.”
“We would like to emphasize once again that a sustainable future in peace in Cyprus will be possible with the acceptance of the sovereign equality of both peoples and states and their international status based on this. We will always continue to stand by the Turkish Cypriot people in this just cause,” he added.
Fanatic Greek Cypriot groups on Tuesday threw stones and insulted Turkish Cypriots at the border area dividing the capital Lefkoşa (Nicosia) on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the EOKA terrorist group.
Founded by Georgios Grivas in 1954, EOKA staged its first terrorist attack a year later. However, its primary objective was to fight against the British occupiers of the island in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The terrorist group began committing more terror attacks and massacres against Turkish Cypriots in 1958, in line with its goals of clearing the island of Turks and uniting it with Greece.
The TRNC said that following the incident, security measures were enhanced at the border.
