United Nations chief Antonio Guterres travelled to Cyprus this week with an offer of new peace talks – the latest attempt to resolve a conflict that has outlasted 11 of his predecessors. The island's division, sealed by Turkey's 1974 invasion but rooted in the flawed power-sharing constitution of 1960, is one of the world's longest-lasting frozen conflicts.
Guterres on Wednesday said he "plans to convene fresh talks on Cyprus to resolve the decades-long division on the Mediterranean island, stressing that the moment calls for rebuilding trust between its two communities", according to the UN. On his first official visit to the country he met with the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Tufan Erhürman, the Turkish president of Northern Cyprus, as well as stakeholders, saying he had held “frank and constructive discussions”. However, he gave no date for the proposed talks, saying they were contingent on "adequate preparation". Christodoulides, president of the Greek Cypriot-majority and internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus, welcomed the announcement. He declared himself optimistic and said it was "the first time" since talks collapsed in 2017 that "the substance of the Cyprus issue was discussed". Turkey sounds alarm over planned French troop deployment to Cyprus
