Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades revealed on Thursday that the talks over Cyprus’ long-standing conflict between the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities have at last taken a positive trajectory. “A degree of progress is being achieved. If we continue at this rate, I believe that we can soon start to speak of significant progress,” Anastasiades commented. The Cypriot President attributed the start of a constructive dialogue to moderate left winger Mustafa Akinci‘s victory during April’s Turkish-Cypriot “elections.” “We are on the same track,” Anastasiades added, saying that there is at last a mutual understanding of the concerns of both sides, an awareness of potential risks and a willingness to reach a solution. Referring to the “undeniable” key role of Turkey during the negotiations, President Anastasiades said: “I would like to believe that Turkey understands that the time has come, taking into account its own interests and its broader interests, to get rid of the headache called [the] Cyprus problem.”