On the 1st of July 2008, the two leaders revised for the first time the work of the working groups and technical committees. They also discussed the issues of sovereignty and citizenship, on which they agreed, as matters of principle. Details on their implementation would be discussed during the direct talks. In a new meeting on July 25, 2008, it was decided to start direct negotiations on September 3, 2008. The new negotiation process aimed to find a solution "from the Cypriots for the Cypriots" on the basis of an agreement between the two leaders that would receive the approval of the people and which would guarantee the fundamental and legal rights and interests of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. In joint statements, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, while agreeing on one single sovereignty, single citizenship, and single international personality of the Cyprus federation. Negotiations leading to Crans Montana To emphasize his support for the peace negotiations, the Secretary-General of the United Nations paid a tripartite visit to Cyprus in early 2010. On April 18, 2010, Mehmet Ali Talat was succeeded by Dervis Eroglu as the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community. President Christofias and the new Turkish Cypriot leader had many unfruitful meetings until July 1, 2012, when Cyprus took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Throughout the Presidency, the Turkish side refused to enter into talks despite assurances from the President that there was no impediment. On February 11, 2014, the first official meeting of the new President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, and the the Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu, took place under the auspices of the UN, which set the framework for the new negotiation process and reaffirmed the basic principles of the solution. The launch of a new process of substantive negotiations renewed international interest, creating new positive momentum for resolving the problem. This was followed by three years of negotiations that led to significant progress. As a result, in June 2017, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, convened a Conference on Cyprus in Crans Montana, Switzerland. The Conference was attended by the Republic of Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriot side with its new leader (since 2015) Mustafa Akinci, the three guarantor powers Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, and the European Union as an observer. The Conference came to a standstill due to Turkey's insistence on the permanent presence of military troops in Cyprus and on maintaining its rights as a guarantor power. The Cyprus Question| A brief Introduction 20
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