Foreign Ministry says it was left out of crossing talks

The United Nations said President Tufan Erhürman and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides had agreed to open the Akıncılar–Limya and Kambo–Gemikonağı crossings simultaneously. The leaders met in the buffer zone under the auspices of UN envoy María Ángela Holguín. The UN gave no opening date.

The ministry described the lack of consultation as a “serious institutional problem”. It said opening new crossing points fell within the government’s remit under the TRNC’s parliamentary system and that the government and relevant institutions should have been involved before the agreements were made public. It raised similar objections over the proposed expansion of technical committee work and matters involving political commitments.

Monday’s UN statement also announced plans to share archival material, move ahead with environmental projects, restart the Imagine education project and set up a mechanism for rapid response to emergencies.

The ministry said the central dispute in Cyprus was over sovereignty and that confidence-building measures could not resolve it. It said the government remained open to constructive dialogue based on its two-state policy and called for the recognition of Turkish Cypriots’ sovereign equality and equal international status.