Turkish Cypriot head rules out 'fruitless' peace talks

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) - Turkish Cypriots do not want to be part of new peace talks that will be fruitless and last for years, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) president said Thursday.

"We will not be part of a new fruitless negotiation process that will last for years, that will drag us out, that is without a schedule, that is open-ended," Mustafa Akinci told reporters in capital Lefkosa after receiving his Prime Minister Tufan Erhurman.

Akinci said he expects to meet Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades "on a date that will not be far away".

A meeting does not mean that a new negotiation process is going to start, he said.

"The new negotiation process will not be the same as the previous one."

The UN sought a peace deal to unite Cyprus under a federal umbrella that could also define the future of Europe's relations with Turkey, a key player in the conflict.

The latest attempt to reunify the long-divided Mediterranean island ended in failure after two years of negotiations in 2017.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks, and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.