Congestion at crossing points between Cyprus’ two sides is the fault of the Greek Cypriot side, the north’s ‘foreign ministry’ insisted on Friday.
They said the long wait times seen in recent days and weeks at the Ayios Dhometios crossing point had been down to “deficiencies caused by the Greek Cypriot side” and said it has now become “essential to find a solution to the congestion and delays” there.
They added that they had put the matter on the agenda of the relevant bicommunal technical committee and have also attempted to raise the issue directly with the Republic’s authorities.
In addition, they said, they have also made steps on the northern side of Ayios Dhometios to attempt to facilitate quicker crossings.
“Without waiting for the necessary improvement works to be carried out by the Greek Cypriot administration, the Turkish Cypriot side has already implemented a project which widened the road in both directions on our side of Ayios Dhometios,” they said.
They said they had done this “to ensure that both communities can easily cross in a more modern environment and without being exposed to delays,” and that work on the crossing point’s widening is expected to be completed “in a short time”.
The works began in February, but the government insisted at the time that they had not been contacted by the north’s authorities regarding the matter.
Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades told the Cyprus Mail the government had received no information, suggestions, or relevant contact from technical committees regarding any upgrades at Ayios Dhometios.
He added that such matters had not been brought onto the government’s agenda.
Even so, the north’s ‘foreign ministry’ insisted on Friday that “it is clear from where the congestion at Ayios Dhometios stems, and it is not possible for us to accept attempts to attribute this problem to the TRNC.”
They also said the Turkish Cypriot side had suggested opening a new crossing point for commercial vehicles only in Mia Milia, which they said would “reduce congestion at Ayios Dhometios and contribute to the development of intra-island trade within the scope of the Green Line regulation.”
They said that taxis, lorries, rental cars, and tourist buses would all be able to use the hypothetical Mia Milia crossing point, but “the Greek Cypriot side did not accept this proposal on the grounds that it would serve the Turkish Cypriot people.”
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar had pushed for the opening of a crossing point in Mia Milia in June last year, but he had said the proposal met a stumbling block when the Greek Cypriot side suggested that a crossing point be opened in Kokkina, the Turkish Cypriot enclave between Pomos and Kato Pyrgos.
He had at the time poured cold water on the idea of a crossing point in Kokkina, saying that it is not possible to open a crossing point there as it is a “sacred area” and functions as a military base.
In addition, the north’s ‘transport minister’ Erhan Arikli made indications in February that opening new crossing points would not be feasible for the north in the short term in any case.
He said, “If a new crossing point opens, there will be problems with the immigration police and customs officers we would put there. We have a very serious problem. We must increase the number of personnel at both Ercan airport and the crossing points.”
“If they say, ‘open the gates’ today and we do, we will have a problem with the number of police and customs personnel,” he said, adding that it would need a total of 1,500 new police recruits to cover the gaps and allow for the opening of a new crossing point.
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