Cyprus rivals agree new crossings across island’s dividing line

What the report says

Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders have agreed to open two new crossing points across Cyprus’s UN-monitored dividing line, along with steps on emergency coordination and sharing archival material, according to Al Jazeera. The talks took place on Monday in the buffer zone with UN special envoy Maria Angela Holguin, and the UN described the meeting as positive. The announcement was presented as a small but concrete sign of movement after years of stalled diplomacy.

Al Jazeera reported that Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said they want to keep negotiations moving with the goal of reviving peace talks before the end of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s current term. Guterres has been pushing a new effort this year to restart discussions on the island’s long-running division.

Cyprus has been split since 1974, when Turkiye invaded the northern part after a coup linked to Greek military rule. The island is still separated by a 180km ceasefire line patrolled by UN peacekeepers. Only Turkiye recognizes the north as a separate state, and earlier reunification efforts have repeatedly failed, including the last formal round in 2017. The new crossings would raise the number open on the island to 11, according to local media cited by Al Jazeera.