There is not much that can bring together Greek and Turkish Cypriots. When wildfires raged across the Mediterranean island last week, they put aside divisions to fight the blazes. So rare was the sight that the permanent UN representative of the war-split country praised the very positive show of unity on Monday.
Colin Stewart said on Monday after meeting the Greek Cypriot leader, Nicos Anastasiades, that it shows a fundamental point about the island, and that is the solidarity among Cypriots.
When the time came, there was unhesitating and unquestioned assistance from Greeks - Cypriots for Turkish Cypriots who were in this difficult situation, and I think this is a very positive thing. Relations between the two communities, which have been on the same side of a ceasefire since 1974, are at a low after decades of failed peace efforts. A UN-brokered attempt to kick-start talks broke down last year before negotiations could begin with Ant nio Guterres, the organisation's secretary general, glumly announcing that not enough common ground had been found.
The election of Ersin Tatar, a hardliner in the breakaway north, has ensured that Greek and Turkish Cypriots can agree on a bi-zonal federation. The Turkish Cypriot leader with the open support of Ankara advocates for a two-state solution to the island's division.
It was against this background that the UN oversaw efforts last week to douse a huge blaze that scorched thousands of acres of forest and forced the evacuation of villages in the Kyrenia mountain range.
The Turkish-controlled area, which unilaterally declared independence in 1981 seven years after Ankara invaded in response to a coup aimed at uniting Cyprus with Greece, is only recognized by Turkey, which is located 40 miles away across the sea.
As the flames rolled in, the statelet appealed for help. The internationally recognised republic in the Greek-speaking south responded with the immediate dispatch of firefighting planes and a helicopter aid sent from British military bases in Cyprus and Israel.
In an interview with the Guardian last summer, Tatar complained that Greek Cypriot authorities had refused a helping hand when a forest fire of similar magnitude had raged in the south. Our friends in the south don't want to have anything to do with us, he grumbled.
Stewart, the UN mission chief, said it was vital that trust-building be prioritised. He said that both sides need to build trust as a foundation to move forward in the political process.