MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) are edging closer toward mending ties and establishing a federation, Cypriot Foreign Minister Yannis Kasulidis told Sputnik Turkey on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and TRNC President Mustafa Akinci held UN-sponsored talks at a defunct airport in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia.
"We will have a federation after negotiations leading to new conditions conclude in Cyprus," Foreign Minister Yannis Kasulidis stressed.
The Eastern Mediterranean island has been partitioned since 1974, when Turkish troops occupied its northern part and proclaimed the TRNC nearly a decade later. Only Turkey recognizes the TRNC, also known as Northern Cyprus.
Kasulidis said the two leaders entered the latest round of talks with the conviction that "the future of the island belongs to all its citizens."
After a seven-month hiatus, peace talks resumed on May 15, leading to the removal of visa requirements as a goodwill gesture and a step toward reunification.
"Our only goal is to achieve the distribution of authority and power. This can be achieved by holding referendums," Kasulidis stressed. "The population of the island will vote in favor of a new constitution at the referendum."
Anastasiades and Akinci are scheduled to meet on September 14 to review reports by their negotiators, according to local media.
