Crossing points are set to increase by two after President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman agreed to the simultaneous opening of two new crossing points during a meeting on Monday, 9 November.
Speaking after the meeting, UN Spokesperson in Cyprus Aleem Siddiqui described the talks between the two leaders as positive and confirmed the agreement to open the new crossing points.
The crossings will connect Kambos with Karavostasi and Louroujina with Lymbia. Both are expected to open simultaneously.
The meeting took place in the UN-controlled area of Nicosia under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Maria Angela Holguin. According to a UN announcement, the discussions were held in a positive atmosphere.
The two leaders also reached agreements on a series of confidence-building measures, covering cooperation between technical committees, cultural heritage, education and emergency response.
Cooperation on cultural heritage and the environment
The two leaders agreed to exchange archival material through the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage.
They also agreed to promote environmental projects through the Technical Committee on the Environment, as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation between the two communities.
Imagine programme to resume
The educational programme Imagine will resume under the auspices and in accordance with the provisions of the Technical Committee on Education.
The bicommunal initiative aims to promote peace, cooperation and mutual understanding between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
Emergency response mechanism planned
The leaders will also instruct the Technical Committee on Crisis Management to establish a rapid response mechanism for emergencies.
The mechanism is intended to facilitate immediate cooperation and coordination when urgent incidents arise.
Maronite churches and Armenian monastery to be restored
The Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage will also proceed with the restoration of specific Maronite churches and an Armenian monastery, alongside its other activities.
The UN announcement did not identify the religious monuments included in the restoration plans.
Further crossing points remain under discussion
Discussions on opening additional crossing points remain ongoing. The two leaders also addressed outstanding related issues, as well as the methodology and substance of the Cyprus issue.
According to the UN, talks on these matters will continue in the coming period.
A trilateral meeting involving the two leaders and UN Secretary-General António Guterres is also expected to take place in the coming weeks.
Attention will now turn to the implementation of Monday’s agreements and the continuation of discussions on the outstanding issues.
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