New Cyprus talks hailed by UN chief as minor agreements made

Athens [Greece], March 19: Greek and Turkish Cypriots agreed on a series of joint measures for the divided island during talks in Geneva on Tuesday.
"It is a new atmosphere," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in the Swiss city as he described the meeting as a promising step towards a better future for Cyprus.
Four more crossings are to be set up between the two parts of the island, Guterres added, while cemeteries are to be restored in the buffer zone. The two sides also want to implement joint climate projects, such as generating electricity using solar panels in the no man's land between the two communities.
The EU island has been split into a Greek-Cypriot south and a smaller Turkish-Cypriot north since a Turkish military invasion in 1974 amid fears in Ankara of union with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes Northern Cyprus as a full state.
The 180-kilometre-long buffer zone between the two sides is monitored by UN peacekeepers. Nicosia remains the world's only divided capital. The Geneva talks were the first negotiations since 2021. Cypriot leaders as well as Guterres and representatives from guarantor powers Britain, Greece and Turkey took part. Another meeting between the sides is set to take place in July. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune