Cyprus invites Turkey's Erdogan to summit despite long rift over 1974 invasion

FILE PHOTO: Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides attends a press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb (not pictured) at the Presidential Castle in Helsinki, Finland on May 22, 2025. Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva/via REUTERS/File Photo

NICOSIA (Reuters) -Cyprus said on Monday it would invite arch-foe Turkey to a summit during its European Union presidency next year despite a decades-long rift over Ankara's 1974 invasion and its backing of a breakaway state on the divided island.

Nicosia will hold the rotating EU presidency in the first six months of 2026 and plans a summit of regional leaders, including Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, on issues related to the Middle East, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said.