The UN has announced that the UNSG`s Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide will host here on Thursday evening a dinner for Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.

A written statement issued by the United Nations Spokesperson said that “the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General (SASG) on Cyprus, Mr. Espen Barth Eide, will host the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Mustafa Akıncı, and the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, for dinner on the evening of Thursday, 1 December 2016 in the United Nations Protected Area (UNPA).”

Eide held seperate meetings on Thursday morning with Anastasiades and Akinci.

This is the first time Anastasiades and Akinci will meet after the two rounds of UN-led talks they held in November in Mont-Pelerin on territory.  The UN had announced at the end of the talks that despite their best efforts, the two leaders were not able to achieve the necessary further convergences on criteria for territorial adjustments that would have paved the way for the last phase of the talks.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Anastasiades and Akinci have been engaged in UN-led talks since May last year, with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.