Cyprus reunification: Greek and Turkish leaders of divided island enter final stages of peace talks

Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci will meet at the United Nations in Geneva this week

Overview of a new round of Cyprus peace talks, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva (AP)

The Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders of Cyprus are entering into a week of intensive talks in an effort to reach a peace deal and end 43 years of division on the island.

Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci will meet at the United Nations in Geneva on Monday with the hope of thrashing out the final terms of reunification, following 19 months of talks.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the conference as an “historic opportunity” for a breakthrough for reunification of the island, which has been attempted more than once in previous decades.

Mr Akinci warned that he was expecting a difficult week. “We must be cautious. We are not pessimistic, but I see no need for exaggerated expectations that everything will just happen. We are expecting a difficult week ahead,” he said.

Cyprus became independent from British rule in 1960, and was divided in 1974 after Turkey invaded the island, following a Greek-backed coup that had intended to unite it with the rest of Greece.

The conflict led to a boarder separating two sides of the island, with Turkish Cypriots controlling 36.5 per cent of the island’s land mass backed by more than 35,000 Turkish troops deployed in the north.

Around 165,000 Greek Cypriots are estimated to have fled the north following the division, with around 45,000 Turkish Cypriots escaping the south. A Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence is recognised only by Turkey.

Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, right, waits for the start of a new round of Cyprus peace talks (AP)

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci attends waits for the start of a new round of Cyprus peace talks (AP)

Mr Guterres is expected to attend the conference on Thursday, along with Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Britain’s foreign secretary Boris Johnson will lead the UK’s delegation at the conference, though Prime Minister Theresa May could join the talks on the day.

Ensuring security for both Greek and Turkish Cypriots once an aimed-for federation is established is a key issue. Many Turkish Cypriots feat they may be overwhelmed by the majority Greek Cypriots in the future, and have insisted that the 30,000 Turkish troops stationed in the island’s north remain. This has been opposed by the Greek side, who say the troops should be pulled out, stating that as Turkey is not part of the EU it should not have a military presence on Cyprus, which is an EU member state.

Other issues leaders hope to resolve include how much territory the Greek and Turkish federal zones would control and the reclamation of property and land of those displaced by the conflict.

Any agreement from this week’s conference will then need to be put to separate referendums within the Greek and Turkish communities on the island. The last time Cyprus voted on reunification in 2004, the majority of the Turkish north voted in favour of the peace deal, though the Greek south rejected it.

Additional reporting by agencies