Inside Story

Bid to reunite divided Cyprus?

Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders hold talks to try to resolve a dispute that has frustrated diplomats for decades.

The small Mediterranean island of Cyprus is home to the longest-serving peacekeeping mission in the United Nations’ history.

There was conflict within years of it becoming independent from the UK in 1960.

After a Greece-backed coup aimed to merge Cyprus with Greece, Turkish troops occupied the northern side in 1974.

The island was effectively partitioned, but it retains peaceful streets and flourishing tourism industries.

Presenter: Laura Kyle

Guests:

Andreas Theophanous – formerly an adviser to the president of Cyprus in the 1990s.

Muzaffer Senel – lecturer at Istanbul Sehir University

Hubert Faustmann – Professor of History and Political Science at the University of Nicosia