The Turkish Cypriot “mayor” of occupied Nicosia, Mehmet Harmanci, said on Monday he was disappointed at the lack of real progress on opening a new vehicle crossing point in Nicosia, according to Turkish Cypriot online media.
He described the announced openings of the Louroujina-Lympia and Kampos-Pyrgos crossing points as positive, but said they would not help ease congestion in the city.
With most traffic still passing through the Agios Dometios crossing point, people face waits of several hours, with serious consequences for their daily lives, Harmanci said.
He singled out the lack of progress on opening a crossing point at occupied Mia Milia, arguing that it would benefit both communities.
The failure to find a solution shows that confidence-building measures are not meeting people’s most urgent needs, Harmanci said, adding that bolder and more permanent steps had been expected from the two leaders. Long queues at crossing points are not simply a transport problem but a real obstacle to contact between the two communities and to daily life, he said.
President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman agreed at a meeting under UN auspices on Monday to open two crossing points simultaneously, at Louroujina and Kampos. The UN said they also discussed opening other crossing points and that those talks would continue, including at a trilateral meeting with the UN Secretary-General in the coming weeks. Its statement did not name Mia Milia.
In February, Christodoulides said he was ready to open crossing points at Mia Milia and Kaimakli, but only if a crossing between Athienou and Aglandjia or one at occupied Kokkina also opened, so that Greek Cypriots were served as well. Erhurman said at the time that a Mia Milia crossing would ease congestion at Agios Dometios and help both communities.
Harmanci also called for a new Nicosia crossing in February, estimating that about 60 to 70 per cent of movements were concentrated in the city and saying that arrangements at Agios Dometios were insufficient. He said a unilateral step could be considered if deemed necessary. A third lane at the Agios Dometios crossing point was put into full operation in March.
