President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Mehmet Ali Talat and leader of the Greek Cypriot administration Demetris Christofias met Tuesday for the 71st time as part of the Cyprus negotiations being held to find a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem.

Tuesday's meeting happens to be the last one prior to the upcoming presidential election in the TRNC. The meeting is taking place at the official residence of Taye Brook Zerihoun, UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for Cyprus, at the buffer zone in Lefkosa.

In the meeting, Talat and Christofias will handle the issue of economy and make an overall evaluation of the negotiations that began on September 11, 2008.

It is not yet certain if a joint statement will be made after Tuesday's meeting in Lefkosa.

Cyprus joined the EU as a divided island when Greek Cypriots in the south rejected the UN reunification plan in twin referendums in 2004 even though the Turkish Cypriots in the north overwhelmingly supported it.

The promise made by EU foreign ministers before the referendums to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots and establish direct trade with north Cyprus remains unfulfilled.

TRNC is an independent republic located in the north of Cyprus. TRNC declared its independence in 1983, nine years after a Greek Cypriot coup attempting to annex the island to Greece led to a peace operation by Turkey. The TRNC has received diplomatic recognition from the Republic of Turkey and the TRNC has representations in dozens of countries across the globe.


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