Cyprus: one country with two time zones, "but united in hope"

Cyprus, a small island in the eastern Mediterranean, has become the only country in the world to have two time zones not based on longitude but on a lateral east-west line that separates the country in north and south.

On Sunday morning, the south part of the island reverted to winter time by setting the clocks one hour back, in line with the rest of the European Union countries.

The north part, occupied by Turkish troops for more than four decades, opted for the first time to go along with Turkey which had decided to keep summer saving time all the year round.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, who had refrained from commenting on this new dividing element, weighted in on Sunday night by Twitting in Greek and Turkish "We are divided by time but united in hope."

His move was taken up by the leaders of the two main political parties which support him in his negotiations with the Turkish Cypriot community on a reunification agreement.

The leaders of the two parties, right-wing ruling DISY and left-wing AKEL, tweeted in line with the president.

Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci are scheduled to travel to Switzerland in eight days for what is expected to be a make-or-break round of negotiations aimed at ending the island's partition which was brought about when Turkish troops occupied its northern part in 1974, in reaction to a coup by the military rulers of Greece at the time.

The "time-partition" as it has been dubbed, has been taken up in the social media by many people.

One of them asked: "7 o'clock in the south, 8 o'clock in the north, what the time should be in the buffer zone? Perhaps 7:30."

The buffer zone is a narrow strip of territory running for 180 km from east to west, administered by the longest serving peace keeping force of the United Nations. Endit