UN: UN says that Cyprus leaders will continue their discussions on building confidence.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced on Thursday that leaders of the ethnically divided Cyprus had agreed to continue talks towards building confidence. This dispute has been a source of tension between NATO partners Greece & Turkey for decades.

Guterres, who hosted the Cypriot leaders in the U.N. headquarters at New York, said that the Greek and Turkish Cypriots will continue to work together on initiatives involving solar energy and new crossing points.

Guterres stated that it was crucial to implement these initiatives as quickly as possible for the benefit of Cypriots.

In an earlier meeting with Guterres, the two sides agreed to open four more crossing points, to demine, to establish a committee for youth affairs, and also launch solar and environmental energy projects.

There are nine crossing points on a 180 km (116 mile) long ceasefire line that separates the two sides. Guterres stated that one of the checkpoints was opening with a "question on itinerary", but there were important advances in the matter.

After years of violence between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, Cyprus was divided more than fifty years ago by a Turkish invasion following a short Greek-inspired coup. The reunification talks broke down in mid-2017, and they have been stuck in a deadlock ever since.

The Cyprus conflict is the main source of disagreement among NATO allies Greece, and Turkey. Both are fiercely protective of their own relatives on the island. (Writing and editing by Sandra Maler; Michele Kambas)

(source: Reuters)