GC side ready to open crossings
THE Greek Cypriot side will be ready to open both Derinya and Apliç crossings early in October, according to the (South) Cyprus News Agency.
A source in the South’s government told the agency this week that a lot of work has been done on both crossings and the Greek Cypriot checkpoint in Derinya has already been completed while the Apliç crossing will be ready in about 10 days.
Greek Cypriot negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis, cohead of the bicommunal technical committee for the opening of the crossings Sotos Zackheos, public works officials and the contractor visited the Apliç crossing on Wednesday to inspect the work, and Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades is to inform the UN Secretary-General on progress on the two crossings during their meeting in New York next Friday.
However, according to Serdar Atai, one of the spokesmen of the Famagusta Initiative, the Turkish Cypriot side “is not ready yet [to open the crossings], with lots of pending work”.
“To start with there have been delays with announcing tenders and then the lira crises has been forcing them [the government] to keep updating the value of the tenders. So pavements, lighting, immigration and customs personnel booths, computer systems and other infrastructure are not done yet. No-one knows when the crossings will be ready. They haven’t announced any date yet,” Mr Atai told Cyprus Today.
He added that the Famagusta Initiative calls on Mr Anastasiades “to open both checkpoints unilaterally as soon as the road works in Apliç are finished which should happen at the beginning of October. There is a precedence of such an action taking place as the same happened on April 23, 2003, when the Turkish Cypriot side opened Ledra Palace crossing in Lefkoşa.”
Commenting on the Greek Cypriot source claim that the Greek Cypriot side is ready to open the Derinya crossing but there is still a question of moving a manned Turkish military post from this area, Mr Atai replied: “Yes, but the Turkish Cypriot side has been also asking for a Greek Cypriot army post to be moved out from there. I think both sides have already reached a mutual understanding on the issue.”
The opening of the two crossings was agreed by TRNC President Mustafa Akıncı and Mr Anastasiades as a confidencebuilding measure in 2015.