UN Secretary-General set to discuss Cyprus divide with Tatar

The United Nations Secretary-General will meet with the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Friday at the headquarters of the international organisation, in New York, the SG's Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, confirmed in reply to a question from the Cyprus News Agency.

The upcoming meeting follows the contacts of the UN SG personal envoy for Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, with leaders and representatives of both sides, as well as the recent meeting President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides had with Antonio Guterres, in Brussels.

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. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.