Communist party leader Demetris Christofias won Cyprus's presidential election on Sunday and agreed immediately to meet the leader to the island's breakaway Turkish-Cypriot community to revive reunification efforts.
Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat called Christofias to congratulate him on the election win and the two men agreed to meet "at the earliest possible date", Talat's spokesman said.
A spokesman for Christofias confirmed the discussion but said no date had been set.
Christofias's election has revived hopes of reunifying Cyprus, divided along ethnic lines since 1974 when Turkey invaded after a brief Greek-inspired coup.
Reunification efforts broke down in 2004 when Greek Cypriots rejected a UN plan and they joined the European Union a short time later as a divided island.
The EU recognises the Greek-Cypriot government in the south of the Mediterranean island, where voting took place on Sunday.
Christofias' supporters poured into the streets waving red party banners and Cypriot flags and drove around honking horns. Christofias won 53.36 of the vote and right-wing rival Ioannis Kassoulides garnered 46.64 percent and conceded defeat.
Christofias, 62, told a noisy crowd: "From tomorrow we unite our strengths, we shall work collectively and in unison to achieve reunification of our homeland."
Political analyst Hubert Faustmann said Christofias "was talking about the need to communicate with his Turkish-Cypriot compatriots all the time and he will deliver on this. I think this will substantially improve the climate."
Christofias will be Cyprus's first communist president and the only one in the 27-member EU. Although proud to be a communist, he says he will leave the free market economy alone.
His AKEL party boasts busts of Lenin and red flags at its headquarters but it also owns a number of large businesses on the island. It has been instrumental in electing presidents but had never fielded its own candidate.
The island's division between Greek and Turkish Cypriots is a major obstacle to neighbouring Turkey's EU aspirations.
ENDING STALEMATE:
Ankara's EU entry negotiations have been partly suspended because of the stalemate over Cyprus. The conflict is also an obstacle to better ties between Nato allies Greece and Turkey, who have come close to war over the island a number of times.
The surprise elimination of incumbent President Tassos Papadopoulos in the first round on February 17 raised hopes the Greek Cypriots might be ready for a deal. Papadopoulos had led the opposition to the UN plan in 2004. Soviet-educated Christofias, who won the vote after securing support from Papadopoulos's party, favours a structured approach to fresh talks through the United Nations.
Turkish Cypriots, who have watched wealthier Greek Cypriots enjoy the benefits of EU membership alone, welcomed the result, saying they were keen for negotiations to re-start.
"We see the change as an opportunity, and we expect negotiations to start immediately and without the need for preliminaries," said Turkish Cypriot spokesman Hasan Ercakica.
Initial reaction from Turkey was more lukewarm, with a Foreign Ministry official saying the election result was positive but there were many factors to follow up on.
"We are a little cautious at the moment," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We have to see whether Christofias gave promises to Papadopoulos or not. (Christofias) will face a sincerity test."