Ersin Tatar, Nikos Christodoulides discuss many issues, notably border gates between the island's 2 countries
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar on Monday met Nikos Christodoulides, leader of the island's Greek Cypriot Administration.
The meeting was held at the residence of Colin Stewart, special representative and head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), in the Mediterranean island's buffer zone.
Tatar and Christodoulides are said to have discussed many issues, notably the border gates between the two countries.
After the meeting, Tatar told reporters that he suggested opening a border gate from Akincilar as well as the Haspolat gate.
He added that the Greek Cypriot side pushed for transit passage for its citizens through Kiracikoy and Erenkoy, that is, passage through TRNC territory.
The Greek Cypriot Administration discriminates against TRNC citizens, refusing to give entry permits to those of Turkish origin who later became TRNC citizens, he said, adding that he raised this issue during his meeting with Christodoulides.
Noting that he told Christodoulides that it is unacceptable to discriminate against TRNC citizens seeking to enter the Greek Cypriot side, Tatar added that he and Christodoulides will meet again before Feb. 10.
After the meeting, the goodwill mission in Cyprus released a joint statement agreed on by the two leaders.
It said their meeting was constructive and underlined that it is critical to increase contacts and trust between the two peoples and to advance economic relations.
After the meeting, Christodoulides said that during their meeting, he presented Tatar with an eight-point package of proposals on the crossing points and other ideas that they discussed at a dinner in New York.
Stating that the package in question should be accepted completely, not piecemeal, Christodoulides argued that this is in the interest of all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
- Decades-long Cyprus problem
Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.
In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation of the island led to Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.
It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.
The Greek Cypriot Administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.
