Cyprus president and northern island leader agree to open two new crossing points

The president of Cyprus and the leader of the northern part of the island agreed on Monday to open two new crossing points along the green line that divides the island, as part of ongoing efforts to restart reunification negotiations, the UN announced. In July, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres suggested this gesture as a mutual pledge of trust in order to move towards the resolution of a conflict more than fifty years old.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied the northern third of the island in response to a coup by Greek Cypriots demanding union with Greece, at the time in the midst of a military dictatorship. To the south, the Republic of Cyprus is part of the European Union, with the self-proclaimed “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)” being recognized only by Türkiye. A UN-controlled buffer zone separates the two sides, and the last attempt at talks ended in failure in July 2017.

Crossing points which “will be open simultaneously”

The election, in 2025, of Tufan Erhurman at the head of the self-proclaimed “TRCN”, a leader favorable to reunification, has nevertheless revived hopes of a settlement. On Monday, the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides met him in the buffer zone in the presence of the United Nations envoy Maria Angela Holguin, for exchanges described as “positive” by the United Nations in a press release.

They “discussed the opening of additional crossing points”, before a meeting with Antonio Guterres planned for the “coming weeks”, the text adds. These crossing points, between Louroujina/Akincilar and Lympia/Limya, as well as Kampos/Kambo and Karavostasi/Gemikonagi, depending on the two languages, “will be opened simultaneously”, specifies the text but without providing a date. 180 kilometers long, the green line is crossed every day by thousands of people to work, trade, study or seek treatment.

Nine crossing points have already existed since the opening of traffic between the two areas in 2003. In July, António Guterres announced from the island that he would convene new negotiations by bringing together his leaders as well as the three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom. However, he indicated that he no longer wanted to organize new summits “without results” at stake, requiring first “adequate preparation” to build confidence.