Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader to hold first informal meeting next Tuesday

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar will hold their first informal meeting on the 3rd of November, the UN in Cyprus have announced.

In a written statement, the United Nations Spokesperson in Cyprus says that "today, the new Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Ersin Tatar, and the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, have confirmed their intention to meet for the first time on Tuesday 3rd November 2020".

He adds that the informal meeting will take place under the auspices of the Special Representative/Deputy Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus,  Elizabeth Spehar, in the Chief of Mission’s residence in the United Nations Protected Area at 19:00 hrs.
 
"Ms. Spehar looks forward to hosting Mr. Anastasiades and Mr. Tatar for their first informal meeting together as the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities" the statement concludes.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.