Ankara: Trkiye will maintain its sincere efforts to foster a spirit of collaboration between the two communities on the island of Cyprus, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. Speaking on an informal meeting on Cyprus held at UN headquarters in New York, ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli emphasized Trkiye's commitment to promoting cooperation between the two sides on the island.

According to Anadolu Agency, Trkiye participated in the New York meeting, as it did in the Geneva meeting in March, in close coordination with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The aim was to take meaningful steps to enhance good neighborly relations between the two states on the island. During the Geneva meeting, discussions centered on areas for potential cooperation for the benefit of both communities, and agreement was reached on six pivotal topics. The New York meeting served as a review of developments in these areas over the past four months.

Progress was reported in several areas, including establishing a technical committee on youth, restoring cemeteries, and addressing issues related to the environment and climate change. Keceli noted that the sides are nearing an agreement on demining efforts, with only a few technical details left to finalize. However, no progress was made on opening four new border crossings and electricity production from solar energy in the buffer zone, despite the UN's full efforts and the Turkish side's constructive approach.

Keceli pointed out that the Turkish side accepted the UN's compromise proposal on border crossings, but the Greek Cypriot side introduced new conditions and revived previously rejected proposals, hindering progress. Similarly, the Greek Cypriot side's stance has stalled progress in solar energy production in the buffer zone. Negotiations on these topics will continue with the support of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's Cyprus envoy, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar.

During the New York meeting, TRNC President Ersin Tatar and Greek Cypriot Administration leader Nikos Christodoulides agreed to work on four new areas of cooperation: establishing a consultative mechanism for civil society engagement, exchange of cultural artifacts, air quality management, and tackling microplastic pollution. Talks on these topics will also take place on the island soon.

Keceli remarked that consensus on these cooperation areas helps lay the groundwork for future collaboration between the two neighboring states in a post-settlement scenario. However, he expressed regret over the Greek Cypriot side's intransigence, which continues to obstruct progress in areas impacting daily life, such as new border crossings. He added that this mentality highlights why a solution outside Tatar's two-state vision is no longer viable.

Cyprus has faced a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite UN efforts for a comprehensive settlement. Ethnic attacks in the early 1960s led Turkish Cypriots to seek safety in enclaves. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at annexing the island to Greece prompted Trkiye's military intervention to protect Turkish Cypriots. The TRNC was established in 1983. Recent years have seen an on-and-off peace process, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland with Trkiye, Greece, and the UK as guarantor countries. The Greek Cypriot Administration joined the EU in 2004, the same year it blocked a UN plan to resolve the longstanding dispute.