Greek Cypriot Crossings to North Drop After Arrests, Fileleftheros Reports

According to the paper, police data from the south show that between July 1 and 19, around 85,000 crossings were made from the south to the north, compared to roughly 69,000 between July 20 and August 6.

The newspaper suggested the drop could be temporary but noted that the arrests created a perception of “retaliation” for recent arrests in the south of individuals accused of “seizing” former Greek Cypriot properties in the north. It also cited remarks by Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides, who at an event for Greek Cypriots from Varosha urged caution when crossing to the north, as another possible factor. Police clarified that the figures refer to the number of crossings, not individuals, as one person may cross multiple times.

Data also showed that crossings from the north to the south fell from about 111,000 between July 1 and 19 to around 76,000 between July 20 and August 6. From the beginning of the year until August 6, approximately 795,000 crossings were made from the south to the north, while crossings from the north to the south reached around 1,108,000.