By George Psyllides, April 28, 2015, published in Cyprus Mail
On the occasion of the resumption of reunification talks, President Nicos Anastasiades on Tuesday announced a series of confidence building measures, which include maps for minefields and granting administration of religious sites to Turkish Cypriots.
Anastasiades said he was announcing the CBMs “on the occasion of the resumption of talks and my strong conviction about the need to create a climate of trust that would boost the negotiating procedure.”
In his first meeting with newly elect Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, Anastasiades said he would provide the ground maps for 28 minefields laid down by Greek Cypriot forces in the Pendadaktylos area, in the north, before the 1974 invasion.
In a written statement, the president also said he was handing over the management of certain Muslim religious sites in the government-controlled areas to Evkaf, the foundation that oversees Islamic land holdings.
The sites in question belong to the Turkish Cypriot community and are not under the protection of foreign embassies, the statement said.
It was also decided to hire Turkish-speaking workers at citizen service centres in Nicosia to make it easier for Turkish Cypriots to carry out their business.
The president also welcomed the ongoing effort to unify the island’s football, which he hopes would come to a successful conclusion soon.
Read the full article here.
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