Johnson to join Cyprus reunification talks after four decades of division

Boris Johnson is preparing to join international talks aimed at reunifying Cyprus after more than four decades of division.

The Foreign Secretary is expected to fly to Geneva tomorrow for the United Nations-led conference amid cautious hopes of a settlement following years of failed diplomatic initiatives.

Greek Cypriot president Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have begun three days of discussions in Switzerland in an attempt to clear the ground for an agreement. 0 Boris Johnson will take part in the Un-led talks in Geneva

They are due to be joined later in the week by key international players including representatives of the island’s three “guarantors” – Britain, as the formal colonial pow- er, plus Greece and Turkey. New UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres and European Commission president Jean-claude Juncker are also thought likely to attend.

The island has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops staged an invasion in response to a coup by Greek Cypriots aimed at uniting with Greece.

UN peacekeepers continue to patrol the zone between the Turkish Cypriot north – recognised only by Turkey – and the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot south.

One of the key issues to be resolved in the talks is security, with more than 30,000 Turkish troops still in the north.