Cyprus Talks: Anastasiades says dinner with Akinci has no agenda

The dinner with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci to be hosted by the UN on April 16, is a social dinner without agenda, said Greek Cypriot leader, Nicos Anastasiades.

Speaking on Sunday after an event to commemorate the Eoka anniversary, Anastasiades said that the steps to be followed as regards the settlement negotiations will be assessed during the dinner.

Despite that, the dinner date has been set by the UN.  Anastasiades said it will be an informal meeting, without an agenda and which is necessary to discuss how to proceed from this point on.

The country, he said, needs peace and stability which can be achieved through dialogue.

Last week the UN announced that the two leaders will be meeting at an informal dinner on April 16, hosted by the Deputy Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on Cyprus, Elizabeth Spehar, at the Chief of Mission’s residence in the buffer zone.

The two leaders have been engaged in UN-backed negotiations for a solution to the Cyprus problem. The latest round of talks took place in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans Montana but failed to yield any results.

UN talks aim at reuniting Cyprus, divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion, under a federal roof.