Cyprus Talks: Leaders meet for the first time after Geneva Conference

Leaders of the divided Cyprus island, President Anastasiades of Greek Cyprus and President Mustafa Akinci of Turkish Cyprus meet on Thursday 26th January within the framework of the ongoing negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem.

The meeting was the first time the leaders had met since the Geneva Conference in early January.

After the meeting, President Anastasiades told journalists that:

“A settlement of the Cyprus problem is unthinkable when Turkish officials demand the same rights for Turkish nationals as EU citizens, after a solution.”

“I cannot but highlight…that as long as Turkish officials utter such unacceptable and unfounded statements, they only succeed in creating a negative climate,” he added.

President Anastasiades made the comments in response to a statement made by Turkey's Deputy PM Tugrul Turkes who had demanded that the EU grant all citizens in the north, including Turkish nationals in a reunited federal Cyprus it's four freedoms and if not, Greek nationals in Cyprus should be deprived of the same privileges.  

According to Cyprus weekly, though the meeting did not yield any meaningful results, Anastasiades said that it had been decided that talks will continue, on all issues as the leaders are set to meet again on February 1.

Cyprus Weekly