Cyprus Leaders Agree to Open Two New Border Crossings
The leaders of the island's two communities have agreed to open two new crossings across the line that divides Cyprus, according to Reuters.
Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman reached the agreement on Monday, when they met jointly with UN special envoy Maria Angela Holguin in the UN-controlled buffer zone that splits the island. The two new crossings are for vehicles, and they will be located along that buffer zone. ABC News reported the details of the crossing points. A report from The National Herald said the agreement calls for the crossings to open next month. Cypriot media say that opening both would bring the number of open crossings on the island to 11.
The leaders also agreed to coordinate emergency responses and to share archival materials. Al Jazeera reported that these steps form part of a UN-backed effort to resume peace talks. The United Nations described Monday's meeting between the two leaders as "positive."
The two leaders will meet again in the coming weeks, in the presence of outgoing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Christodoulides said the goal is to resume talks before the end of the secretary-general's term at the end of the year.
The island became independent in 1960 under a constitution meant to balance the interests of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Intercommunal violence broke out in December 1963. In 1974, Turkiye invaded and seized the northern part of the island, in response to a coup instigated by the then-military government in Greece.
The division has held since then. A UN Peacekeeping Force, known as UNFICYP, monitors a 180-kilometre (112-mile) ceasefire line, an agreed halt to fighting, that separates the two sides. The UN Security Council set up the force to prevent a return to fighting and to help restore normal conditions.
Only Turkiye recognises the northern part of Cyprus as an independent republic, and Ankara maintains more than 35,000 troops on the island. The last official round of talks to reunify Cyprus collapsed in 2017. In November 2025, the leaders had also agreed to work towards reviving talks, according to Reuters.
