epa04743819 Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide (C), poses with the leaders of Cyprus' two communities, President Nicos Anastasiades (R) and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci (L), after hosting a dinner at Ledra Palace in the UN-patrolled Buffer Zone in Nicosia, Cyprus, 11 May 2015. It is the first time the two leaders met after Akinci was elected leader of the Turkish Cypriots last in April. The Republic of Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the island. It still occupies 37 per cent of this EU Mediterranean country, despite repeated calls by international and European organizations to withdraw its troops from the island. UN-backed talks are expected to begin in the coming days with the aim to reunite the island under a federal roof. EPA/KATIA CHRISTODOULOU