Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhürman (R) and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides
The United Nations has marked earlier efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue with a symbolic gift to the island’s two leaders: Olive oil produced from trees planted during negotiations 17 years ago.
Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhürman and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides each received a bottle of olive oil made from olives harvested from the trees.
The trees were planted on Oct. 15, 2009, by then- Greek Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and then-Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat as a gesture of their shared commitment to peace.
The gifts were presented as Christodoulides and Erhürman arrived for their latest meeting at the United Nations office at the buffer zone on Oct. 27.
Following their bilateral talks, the two leaders met with representatives of the bicommunal Technical Committees on Youth and Cultural Heritage, as well as the Coordinating Committee of the Civil Society Advisory Body.
The latest meeting between Christodoulides and Erhürman came two days before the scheduled arrival U.N. envoy Maria Angela Holguin on Oct. 29.
The initiative dates back to a period of intensive direct negotiations between Christofias and Talat under U.N. auspices.
Before another round of talks on Oct. 15, 2009, the two leaders planted the olive trees at the entrance to the negotiating venue. Civil society representatives and U.N. officials attended the ceremony.
Representatives of more than 40 Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot organizations also took part. The groups had launched an initiative to support the negotiations and presented the leaders with a resolution backing efforts toward reconciliation and the reunification of Cyprus, according to UN records.
A decade later, on Sept. 21, 2019, Elizabeth Spehar, then the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative in Cyprus, unveiled a commemorative plaque between the trees. The ceremony, held on the International Day of Peace, recalled the significance of the original initiative.
