Guterres visit to Cyprus revives frozen diplomacy amid regional tension
The first visit to Cyprus by a UN chief in more than 16 years aimed at testing waters for resumption of UN-led talks amid growing urgency to address the island’s division.
ANKARA — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres became the first UN chief to visit Cyprus in more than 16 years, as wars engulfing the Middle East have turned Cyprus’ decades-old division into a growing regional security liability.
Guterres, who visited the island on Wednesday, held separate and joint talks with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman. The last such visit was made by Ban Ki-moon in early 2010.
Cyprus remains ethnically divided between the internationally recognized EU-member Republic of Cyprus, led by Greek Cypriots, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognized only by Ankara since Turkey's 1974 military intervention, which followed a Greek-led coup aimed at unifying the island with Greece. Turkey, Greece and Britain — who governed the island until Cyprus gained independence in 1960 — remain guarantor powers under the island’s complex political arrangement. Turkish Cypriots make up more than 20% of the total population on the island.
Guterres’ gamble
