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Cyprus President and Turkish Cypriot leader to have new meeting on crossing points

The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, at a meeting with the leader of the Turkish Cypriot Community, Ersin Tatar, and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cyprus, Colin Stewart. Photos: PIO

LEFKOSIA- [CNA]

A new meeting between the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, is set to take place in the coming days to discuss the opening of new crossing points on the island.

Christodoulides and Tatar made the announcement in a joint statement released by the UN Secretary-General’s Good Offices Mission in Cyprus, shortly after a meeting they had on Monday, under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, at his residence, in the UN-controlled Nicosia buffer zone.

The meeting, which lasted approximately one hour and 45 minutes, wrapped up at around 12:30.

According to the joint statement, the two leaders had an open and constructive discussion.

It is added that both leaders believe that the opening of new crossing points is critical to promote people-to-people contacts, strengthen economic ties, and build trust.

The statement also pointed out that these efforts aim to generate tangible socio-economic benefits across the island, creating opportunities and improving livelihoods for both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.

It is also noted that the leaders, taking advantage of today’s meeting and the opportunity to exchange views, they discussed other ideas.

“Convinced that the opening of new crossing points will also contribute to a conducive climate ahead of the informal meeting in a broader format, they instructed their Negotiator and the special representative to continue discussions and decided to meet again in the coming days,” the statement added.

This meeting follows an agreement reached during an informal dinner of the two leaders, hosted by the UN Secretary-General in New York on October 15, 2024, in New York.

During the dinner, President Christodoulides and Tatar agreed to have an informal meeting in a broader format in the near future, under the auspices of the Secretary-General, to discuss the way forward. They also agreed to have a meeting in Cyprus to explore the possibility of opening new crossings.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

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