Türkiye welcomes limited progress on Cyprus crossings

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Öncü Keçeli said Ankara welcomed the discussion of measures to build trust between the two sides at the 9 November meeting between President Tufan Erhürman, Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and UN envoy María Ángela Holguín.

Keçeli said the opening of new crossing points had been on the agenda for 18 months as part of a cooperation initiative proposed by the UN Secretary-General. He described the progress made at the meeting as limited.

The UN said after the meeting that the leaders had agreed to open crossings linking Akıncılar (Louroujina) with Limya (Lympia) and Kambo (Kampos) with Gemikonağı (Karavostasi). The two crossings are to open simultaneously. The UN statement gave no opening date.

The leaders also agreed to share archival material, move ahead with environmental projects, resume the Imagine education programme and set up a mechanism for rapid response to emergencies.

Keçeli said further progress on crossings and other areas of cooperation at a planned meeting between the two leaders and UN Secretary-General António Guterres would depend on the Greek Cypriot side changing its approach.