dividing

The island has been split since 1974, when Turkiye invaded and seized the northern part after a coup by the Greeks.

Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders have agreed ⁠to open two ⁠new border crossings, coordinate emergency responses, and share archival materials as part of a United Nations-backed effort to resume ⁠peace talks on the divided island.

Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman jointly met with United Nations special envoy Maria Angela Holguin on Monday in the UN-controlled buffer zone that splits the island. The agreement is the first concrete sign of detente between the rivals after nearly a decade of deadlock.

The UN said in a statement that Monday’s meeting was “positive” and that the two leaders would talk again in the coming weeks in the presence of outgoing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“We are continuing this effort with absolute seriousness and one single goal: resuming the talks before the ‌end ‌of the secretary-general’s term,” at the end of the year, Christodoulides told reporters after the meeting.

Guterres began a new drive to try to resolve the more than five-decade-old conflict in the summer, suggesting new crossings could build trust and confidence. However, the two sides have since been disagreeing ‌over the ground rules for talks.

The move would bring the number of open crossings on the divided Mediterranean island to 11, according ⁠to media in Cyprus.

Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkiye invaded and seized the northern part in response to a coup instigated by the then-military government in Greece.

A previous power-sharing administration of Greek and Turkish Cypriots had fallen apart in 1963, and a UN Peacekeeping Force has monitored a 180km (112-mile) ceasefire line which splits the two sides since.

Only Turkiye recognises the northern part of the island as an independent republic. Ankara maintains more than 35,000 troops on Cyprus.

Decades of talks have repeatedly failed to reunify Cyprus, with the last official round collapsing in 2017. Greek Cypriots are against Ankara having any hands-on involvement; Turkish Cypriots say it is essential.

Last year, the north elected its first pro-unification leader since 2020, generating renewed hope.