Newsroom
While President Nikos Christodoulides says he is open to opening a new crossing at Kaimakli, signs of goodwill between the island’s two leaders appear to be gathering pace.
On Wednesday morning, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman visited both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot secondary schools in Rizokarpaso, a small town in the Karpaz region where members of both communities live side by side.
Erhürman began his visit at the Rizokarpaso Greek Cypriot Secondary School, where he toured classrooms and met with students and teachers. He also held discussions with the heads of the Greek Cypriot primary and secondary schools, who briefed him on daily challenges and school needs. The principals thanked him for the visit and presented him with a commemorative gift.
He later stopped at the Rizokarpaso Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Secondary School, where he again met with students, teachers and administrators to hear about their activities and concerns.
Erhürman said he undertook the visits to listen firsthand and better understand any issues facing schools in the region. He described the meetings as an opportunity to connect directly with young people and educators.
The visits come at a sensitive but potentially promising moment.
Christodoulides said Thursday he is prepared to move ahead with opening a crossing point in Kaimakli, provided it is part of a broader package that serves both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. He has stressed that new crossings should improve daily life for all Cypriots and not appear one-sided.
Though school visits and crossing negotiations are separate matters, the optics are hard to ignore. In Cyprus, even symbolic gestures can carry political weight.
