Newsroom
Cyprus’ leaders have agreed to open two new crossings. Now comes a practical question: What will it take to turn a dirt road near Kampos into a route drivers can use?
The Greek Cypriot members of the technical committee responsible for the crossings are due to meet this week to begin preparations, the Cyprus News Agency reported. The full committee is expected to meet next week to draw up a work plan for the two routes, one linking Louroujina and Lympia and the other connecting Kampos and Karavostasi.
The Kampos–Karavostasi route appears to be the more complicated of the two. The existing road from Kampos of Tsakistra toward the buffer zone near Karavostasi is unpaved. Teams will need to visit the area, assess ground conditions, establish who owns the land, and determine what it would take to build a road on the stretch under Republic of Cyprus control, CNA reported.
The route through the buffer zone also has to be worked out with the involvement of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Cyprus.
The Louroujina–Lympia route is shorter and expected to be simpler. But President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman agreed Monday that the crossings would open at the same time. That means the work near Kampos could help determine when drivers can use either route. An opening date has yet to be announced.
Another part of Monday’s agreement will move forward next week. The co-chairs of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage are due to meet Monday to identify records that can be shared digitally so both communities have access to them. The material includes records from the British colonial period and old newspapers, CNA reported.
