Newsroom
President Nikos Christodoulides said Thursday he is ready to open a new crossing point in Kaimakli, but only as part of a broader package that benefits both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
Speaking to reporters in Nicosia, the president made clear that opening a single roadblock that serves only one side is not the goal.
“The main issue is to open crossings that make daily life easier for all Cypriots,” he said.
The Kaimakli crossing has been floated as a proposal, but Christodoulides stressed that his government is prepared to move forward on four crossing points that were previously discussed at an expanded conference on the Cyprus problem with the UN secretary-general. Those include Kaimakli and Mia Milia, along with crossings that would also serve Greek Cypriot communities, such as Athienou-Aglantzia and Kokkina.
In other words, the president is signaling balance.
He said the aim is “mutual satisfaction”, not a move that appears one-sided. Without naming political tensions directly, he dismissed the idea that Kaimakli should open in place of Mia Milia. Instead, he argued, progress should come as a package.
The issue of crossings is more than just about traffic flow. For many Cypriots, roadblocks affect daily routines, from commuting to work and school to running businesses across the divide.
Christodoulides also pointed to improvements already made at the busy Agios Dometios crossing, including the addition of a third lane and increased staffing to reduce delays. He noted there had been setbacks in the buffer zone works, which were eventually handled by the United Nations.
Beyond the practical impact, the president used the moment to send a broader political message. He confirmed he recently held a private, “sincere and open” discussion with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman, and said he remains ready to resume peace talks from where they collapsed in 2017 in Crans-Montana.
He reiterated his call for a new expanded conference, saying he is prepared to move immediately.
