Nicosia: President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar convened on Monday at 10:30 local time to deliberate on the potential opening of new crossing points. The meeting was held at the residence of UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, located in the UN Protected Area at Nicosia airport.
According to Cyprus News Agency, this meeting follows an agreement reached during an informal dinner on October 15, 2024, hosted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York. The Greek Cypriot side has proposed the opening of crossings at Pyroi and Kokkina, while the Turkish Cypriot side has suggested a regular crossing point at Mia Milia. Guterres, in his recent report to the UN Security Council for the renewal of UNFICYP’s mandate, expressed approval of the commitments made by the leaders to explore the opening of new crossing points.
The Government Spokesman expressed optimism on Sunday, stating that they are approaching the meeting with a constructive at
titude and that the groundwork has been laid with specific proposals. He emphasized the hope for discussions to proceed with a sincere and positive disposition.
In the lead-up to the meeting, residents of Pachyammos, Paphos district, held an event on Saturday advocating for the opening of a crossing point in Kokkina. Additionally, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot organizations conducted a joint event on Friday at the Ayios Dometios checkpoint, urging the establishment of new crossing points.
Cyprus has remained divided since 1974 following Turkey’s invasion and occupation of its northern third. Despite numerous UN-led peace talks, a resolution has yet to be achieved. The latest negotiations in July 2017 at Crans-Montana ended without agreement.
During the October 15 dinner, Guterres encouraged the Cypriot leaders to bridge their differences and rebuild trust to facilitate progress toward a resolution. Christodoulides and Tatar agreed to have an informal meeting in a broader format under the UN Secretary-G
eneral’s auspices and to meet in Cyprus to explore the possibility of new crossings.