Akinci briefs Turkish Cypriot ‘officials’ on talks

The ongoing talks for a solution to the Cyprus problem have entered the main, and difficult, part, but no substantial progress has been made since the last briefing, ‘House Speaker’ Sibel Siber told Turkish Cypriot ‘officials’ on Tuesday.

Siber was attending a working lunch hosted by Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci for ‘state officials’, which reportedly lasted an hour and a half.

Despite the fact that “the South” has entered an election period, Siber said, referring to the upcoming legislative elections in May, a solution remains the main goal, while the Turkish Cypriots’ desire for agreement remains.

‘Agriculture minister’ Erkut Sahali – also ‘deputy foreign minister’ – expressed hope that the negotiations will continue, despite the upcoming election.

The session was also attended by Turkish Cypriot negotiator Ozdil Nami and Akinci’s spokesman Baris Burcu.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.