EU's Borrell in Cyprus for talks with leaders

European Union Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell arrived in Cyprus on Friday for talks with the ethnically divided island nation's Greek Cypriot President and the leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots.

The visit comes ahead of a key U.N. brokered meeting next month to determine if there's enough common ground between the two sides to resume dormant reunification talks.

Borrell held separate meetings with President Nicos Anastasiades and Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides who seek to secure the EU's more active involvement in the peace talks process in order to ensure that any peace deal conforms with EU laws.

Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island's northern third.

Although Cyprus joined the EU in 2004, only the southern, internationally recognized part enjoys full benefits.

Cyprus' continued division has exacerbated tensions with Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean over rights to the region's offshore hydrocarbons deposits, as well as undermining Ankara's bid to join the EU.

Greek Cypriots see a more engaged EU in peace talks as a possible bulwark against a stated shift in the position of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots from the long-held aim of a federated Cyprus made up of Greek and Turkish speaking zones to an agreement struck between two equal, internationally recognized states.

An overwhelming majority of Greek Cypriots strongly oppose any deal that would legitimize the east Mediterranean island nation's ethnic partition.

The current Turkish Cypriot leadership echoes Ankara's view that nearly five decades of talks aimed at a federal deal have gone nowhere and that a two-state deal must be explored.