ANKARA

Leaders at an informal meeting on the Cyprus issue in Geneva agreed on various cooperation efforts, including opening new crossing points, demining operations, and generating solar energy in the island’s UN buffer zone, Türkiye said Tuesday.

In the absence of common ground for a final resolution to the Cyprus issue, discussions focused on areas that could benefit both communities, said Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli.

Leaders of both states on the island also reached agreement on environmental and climate issues, restoring cemeteries, and forming a technical committee on youth initiatives.

Highlighting the meeting as a significant step in improving good neighborly relations between the two states on the island, Keceli said another informal meeting in a similar format is scheduled for July.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres – who hosted this week’s meeting – is expected to appoint a personal envoy for the issue, he said, adding that Türkiye will continue efforts to foster a culture of cooperation between the two sides in close consultation with the leadership of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

- Decades-long Cyprus problem

The Cyprus dispute has persisted for decades, with the island divided since 1974 following a Greek-backed coup and Türkiye's subsequent military intervention. As a result, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was established in 1983.

There has been an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, under the auspices of the guarantor countries.

The Greek Cypriot Administration joined the European Union in 2004 – the same year that Greek Cypriots rejected a UN plan to resolve the dispute in a referendum.

In the most recent attempt to break the deadlock, a three-day meeting was held in Geneva in 2021. However, Guterres concluded that there was still not enough common ground to resume formal negotiations.