The Cyprus issue will be on the agenda of the talks the US President Barak Obama will hold in the afternoon with the Turkish Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan at the White House.
According to State Department sources, the Cyprus issue is second on the agenda of the talks, while the Syrian crisis is high priority.
The White House in a statement has stressed that Erdogan’s visit underlines the close friendship between the two countries and the importance Washington places on the enhancement and further development of the bilateral ties.
Turkish relations with Israel, Mideast peace process, the Arab Spring and Iran will also be on the agenda of the talks.
US Vice President Joe Baiden will be present at the talks to be followed by a joint press conference. In the evening Obama will host a dinner for the Turkish Premier.
Cyprus has been divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. UN talks, which had been ongoing since 2008, stalled in the summer of 2012 on the part of the Turkish Cypriot side just before the assumption by Cyprus of the EU Council rotating Presidency on July 1 2012.
Recently, the Cypriot FM met with UNSG in New York and as it was announced after the meeting, there was an understanding that negotiations cannot begin before fall.