Anastasiades meets Eroğlu for first time

NICOSIA

Turkish and Greek Cyprus leaders meet at a dinner hosted by the UN. AFP photo

Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has met Turkish Cypriot leader Derviş Eroğlu May 30 for the first time since his election in February, but denied that the meeting was a first step toward restarting negotiations to find a political solution to the division on the island.

The two leaders met at a dinner hosted by the U.N. envoy to Cyprus, Alexander Downer. Anastasiades and Eroğlu said that the dinner went well, avoiding giving further details, while Downer told reporters that the dinner was a good opportunity that brought the two leaders together and that they were pleased to find the opportunity to meet each other. However, Anastasiades was concerned that the dinner would turn into a political meeting. Anastasiades has sent a letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon ahead of the dinner and told him that his meeting with Eroğlu would only be a social event and complained that Downer had tried to turn it into a political event despite having given assurances to the contrary, the Cyprus Mail’s reported.

Although Anastasiades gave positive signals toward a solution after being elected, talks between the two sides of Cyprus have remained in deadlock for a long time. Greek Cyprus’s priority is currently the rebuilding the its banking system.