Talks on Reuniting Cyprus to Continue Despite Deadlock - President Anastasiades

ATHENS (Sputnik) – Anastasiades and Northern Cyprus leader Mustafa Akinci started the latest round of UN-led talks in Geneva on Sunday. After the talks broke off on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned the negotiating sides on Wednesday that they should not let "this historic opportunity slip."

In a Wednesday televised address, Anastasiades said as cited by The New York Times that the key issue that must be resolved is how much territory each side would control. According to the president, the most recent failure in the reunification talks was caused by disagreements over the number of Greek Cypriots who would be able to reclaim property under new federal boundaries.

Cyprus has been partitioned since 1974, when Turkey occupied the island's north, later proclaiming the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Turkey maintains military presence in TRNC, which is only recognized by Ankara as an independent state.

Anastasiades stressed on Wednesday that all territory issues must be resolved first, before the sides can proceed with the final phase of the reunification talks, and that security issues must not be tied to the territorial ones.

Anastasiades and Akinci have been involved in the UN-led reunification talks since May 2015.