Heads of the Two Cypriot Communities to Meet on January 20

The Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides are set to meet on January 20 at the residence of Colin Stewart, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Cyprus. The meeting will take place in the buffer zone and will focus on a single topic.

The primary issue on the agenda is the opening of new crossing points on the island. The meeting is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m.

Ersin Tatar has previously proposed the opening of a second vehicular crossing point in Nicosia to ease traffic congestion at the Metehan (Agios Dometios) crossing. The proposed Haspolat (Mia Milia) crossing point is expected to reduce traffic bottlenecks and improve the flow of vehicles between the two sides.

Additionally, the Haspolat crossing is intended to enhance trade volumes conducted under the Green Line regulation by facilitating easier and faster transportation.

During a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Tatar reiterated his call to Christodoulides to make a swift decision on opening the new crossing point.

Meanwhile, it was recently announced that an extended meeting on the Cyprus issue, involving the guarantor states—Turkey, Greece, and the United Kingdom—is scheduled to take place in mid-March in Switzerland.