Tatar Meets with Harmancı to Discuss Crossing Points

Tatar highlighted that the highest traffic congestion is at the Metehan crossing point, stressing the need to ease traffic at this location. He also mentioned that they are working on opening the Haspolat crossing point to commercial vehicles, including taxis.

Tatar's Remarks

According to a statement from the Presidency, Tatar expressed his appreciation for Harmancı's attention to the issues surrounding Nicosia's crossing points and his visit to discuss these matters. Tatar stated that he had raised the issue of traffic congestion at the crossing points in the United Nations and that technical committees had included the topic in their discussions.

While there are ongoing efforts to address congestion at the Metehan crossing, Tatar noted that traffic remains bottlenecked due to a single lane on the other side. He emphasized that Metehan is the most congested crossing point among the nine on the island, and alleviating the traffic there is crucial.

Haspolat as a Potential Alternative

Tatar referred to an informal meeting in New York in October, during which the issue of crossing points was raised. The UN Secretary-General had encouraged both leaders to discuss the matter in Cyprus and seek a resolution. Tatar said:
“This is a preparatory step. We have proposed opening the Haspolat crossing, especially for commercial vehicles, including taxis. The movement of goods and materials under the Green Line Regulation from the Industrial Zone will help ease the traffic at Metehan. Haspolat, due to its proximity to Larnaca and its distance from other areas, could be a preferred point. To make this feasible, there are expectations from the other side, and we are ready to discuss them. There are several crossing points on the agenda, and security issues are also being discussed.”

Tatar emphasized that the ultimate goal is for the Turkish Cypriot people to live freely, independently, and peacefully. He reiterated that dialogue with the other side should continue until a final solution is reached, and expressed readiness to discuss any issue that could benefit both communities under a two-state cooperation framework.

He also noted that cooperation with the Greek Cypriot side could be possible in areas such as electricity, irregular migration, water resource management, crime, and disaster response, stating:
“We are always ready to cooperate to make arrangements that will benefit both peoples constructively.”

Harmancı: Enhancing Communication

Mehmet Harmancı, the Mayor of LTB, stated that he visited President Tatar to discuss approaches regarding the crossing points in Nicosia that were brought up during the October meeting in New York. He emphasized the importance of increasing communication during such times, noting that the will to work together on these issues should aim to benefit everyone, and there is a need for preparation on this front.

The meeting was also attended by the President's Special Representative Güneş Onar and the Coordinator for Confidence-Building Measures and Bilateral Technical Committees, Seniha Birand Çınar.