Turkish FM Davutoğlu calls Ban Ki-moon on return from Nicosia

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

DAILY NEWS Photo, Selahattin Sönmez

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu spoke to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to discuss the recent developments in the Cyrus talks upon returning from Turkish Cyprus.

Anadolu Agency reported that the phone conversation between Davutoğlu and the U.N. secretary-general focused mainly on the current state of negotiations. Davutoğlu also had a phone conversation with his Greek counterpart Evangelos Venizelos.

Davutoğlu was in Nicosia on Dec. 14, where he held a joint press conference with the Turkish Cypriot President Derviş Eroğlu. The Turkish foreign minister signaled towards a “positive” atmosphere regarding the talks, saying both sides were willing takes advantage of the positivity to reanimate the stalled negotiations.

“Hopefully this will is shared by everyone so that a vision that can bring peace to the island can be developed,” Davutoğlu said, adding that the election of Nicos Anastasiades to the presidency in the south of the island had been a major turning point.

Prior to his visit to Nicosia, Davutoğlu held a series of meetings in Athens on Dec. 13 to discuss the details on the procedures of reviving talks between the two parts of the island. Both Turkey and Greece are working on a text that summarizes all previous negotiations of the four-decade-old problem, Davutoğlu told reporters in Greece.

Ankara’s recently intensified Cyprus initiative has garnered support from the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Nations.