The UN Secretary General intends to convene an informal meeting on the Cyprus issue very soon, Spokesman of the UNSG, Stephane Dujarric, told the Cyprus News Agency.

Replying to a question about an informal 5+1 meeting on Cyprus, the Spokesman said that “the purpose of the meeting will be to determine whether common ground exists for the parties to negotiate a sustainable, lasting solution to the Cyprus problem within a foreseeable horizon”.

He said that following the consultations conducted by Senior UN official, Jane Holl Lute, over the past several months, “the Secretary-General intends to convene an informal five-plus-one meeting on the Cyprus issue very soon. A formal announcement will follow”.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The latest UN backed round of talks took place in 2017, in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, but failed to yield any results.