Leaders attend UN Day celebrations, speak briefly

President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci had a brief tete-a-tete on Thursday evening, over a month since they last met.

Anastasiades and Akinci were attending a reception hosted by the UN special representative Elizabeth Spehar at the Ledra Palace, on the occasion of United Nations Day.

Television footage showed the two men shaking hands and trading pleasantries, with Spehar looking on.

Anastasiades and Akinci had last come together on September 6 at a joint meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s envoy Jane Holl Lute, on the island to push for a resumption of peace talks.

United Nations Day is celebrated annually on October 24. It is attended by politicians from both sides of the divide and foreign diplomats.

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