Heybeliada Talks Follow-up Meeting

It was our pleasure to hold a mini Heybeliada Talks event within the framework of the 16th Symi Symposium on July 22, 2015 on the island of Corfu, Greece.

The Heybeliada Talks: Series of Second Track Diplomacy Meetings on Cyprus brought together the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot chief negotiators, policy makers, journalists, and civil society representatives from Greece, Turkey, and both sides of Cyprus.

During the meeting, participants exchanged their views regarding the latest developments on the official Cyprus negotiations, and matters relating to the search for a comprehensive settlement on the island. The roundtable meeting was held under the Chatham House Rules in order to provide the participants with a sincere and open platform for discussion.

The event, which was hosted by Andreas Papandreou Foundation, was jointly organised by Global Political Trends (GPoT) Center of Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) and Cyprus Academic Dialogue (CAD), with support of the Australian Government and the Australian High Commission in Nicosia, Cyprus.

The Heybeliada Talks have served as a multilateral dialogue platform since July 2008. The 17 meetings conducted up until today have provided Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, and representatives from Turkey and Greece with the opportunity to engage in frank discussions on issues pertaining to the solution of the Cyprus question in parallel with the official negotiations. Originally started on the island of Heybeliada in the Sea of Marmara, the meetings were later relocated to Nicosia’s Buffer Zone.