Political rivals on divided island of Cyprus attend theatre play to foster reconciliation

NICOSIA, Cyprus – Cyprus’ rival political leaders have opted for an unusual way to drive home their mutual commitment to peace on this divided Mediterranean island.

The two leaders were attending a theatre play together Monday evening, one that implores the island nation’s Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities to own up to past mistakes and confront current issues.

It’s a first in long-standing efforts to reunify the country, which was split along ethnic lines in 1974 when Turkey invaded in the wake of a coup by supporters of union with Greece.

President Nicos Anastasiades, a Greek Cypriot, and the leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots, Mustafa Akinci, are attending the play in their common hometown of Limassol, a bustling, cosmopolitan tourist resort on the island’s south coast.