Talat and Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias have been holding talks to reunite the island since September 2008. Talat and Turkish leaders will review the situation in the talks and try to set out a common stance, the Anatolia news agency said yesterday.
The Turkish Cypriot leader will arrive in Ankara on Monday and meet with Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu before he leaves on Tuesday afternoon. Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün will accompany Talat during his visit.
Talat and Christofias have held more than 30 rounds of talks since September 2008 to discuss the reunification of Cyprus, which has been divided since a Turkish military intervention in 1974. The two leaders have mostly reviewed their stance on major issues of contention in their talks so far, determining the areas in which they agree and disagree and will take a break from the talks throughout August.
Talat hopes the areas of dispute will be resolved in a new and substantial round of negotiations in the autumn and that an agreement to be put to referendum in both Turkish and Greek Cyprus will emerge by the end of the year. But the Greek Cypriots are less optimistic, saying the two sides have made little progress so far in the talks.
The continued division of Cyprus is a stumbling block for Turkey's aspirations to join the European Union as well. Greek Cyprus, a member of the bloc since 2004, can veto the accession of Turkey or its progress in accession negotiations.
Earlier this week, Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou said Turkey will face political repercussions if it does not open its ports and airports to traffic from Greek Cyprus by December.
