News
Four new crossing points under discussion before Monday meeting
Turkish Cypriot media say Holguin is trying to finalise a package of four crossing points and demining. President Christodoulides says announcements may come over the weekend, but no deal has been confirmed.
Four new crossing points are under discussion ahead of Monday’s trilateral meeting in Nicosia, according to Turkish Cypriot media reports, but no agreement has been announced.
Yeni Duzen, a Turkish Cypriot newspaper, reported that UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy MarÃa Ãngela HolguÃn is making intensive efforts to finalise an agreement on four new crossing points, with two proposed by each community. Cyprus Mail and Politis reported the claim, citing Yeni Duzen.
Three of the points have already been under discussion: the Athienou-Aglandjia road, proposed by the Greek Cypriot side, and Mia Milia and Louroujina, proposed by the Turkish Cypriot side. Yeni Duzen said the fourth concerns a new crossing in the Lefka area, near Kambos tis Tsakistras, as an alternative to Kokkina. It said the point is believed to be included in President Nikos Christodoulides’s 19-point package of proposals.
The newspaper said both sides appeared positive towards the four points, but that no full agreement had been reached. It said the period before Monday’s meeting was particularly important.
Erhurman, speaking on an online programme, listed the four points from the New York maps as Louroujina, Pyroi, Aglandjia and Mia Milia. He said Kokkina did not appear on that map. He said his side was ready to discuss everything, starting with the UN map of crossing points. The newspaper’s account of the fourth point differed from Erhurman’s.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is expected in the north on Friday for meetings with Erhurman and other Turkish Cypriot officials, including Unal Ustel and Tahsin Ertugruloglu, according to Turkish Cypriot media. Kibris Postasi, citing Turkish foreign ministry sources, described the trip as a working visit. Philenews reported that it would be Fidan’s first visit since Erhurman became Turkish Cypriot leader.
The reports cited Turkish Cypriot media and Turkish foreign ministry sources, but did not include a public statement from the ministry confirming the trip. The UN statement confirming Monday’s meeting did not mention Fidan’s visit or the crossing points. The meeting is set for 11am at the residence of the Head of Mission in the UN Protected Area.
Update, 6 November
The package now under discussion covers four new crossing points and demining, and the two sides are reported to be close to agreement before Monday’s meeting. The four points are Mia Milia, Athienou-Pyroi-Aglantzia, Louroujina-Lympia and Kambos to Karavostasi, the last as an alternative to Kokkina. The demining element would clear 70,000 square metres of minefields, the report says.
The Greek Cypriot side has accepted that area, while the Turkish Cypriot side is reported to consider clearance limited to designated areas insufficient and to want full demining.
President Nikos Christodoulides said on Thursday that Holguin had told him by telephone that there might be “specific announcements over the weekend”. He said the information so far pointed towards positive developments and that the government was waiting for final answers. He said the discussions covered more than crossing points.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s visit to the north on Friday is expected to produce the Turkish side’s response. If the package is agreed, an announcement could come over the weekend or at Monday’s meeting.
Reports citing Turkish diplomatic sources say the next step would be a meeting between the two leaders and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a 2+1 format. If that produced progress, Guterres would invite the foreign ministers of Greece, Turkey and Britain to a 5+1 meeting, where a resumption of talks could be agreed. The report says the Turkish side restated that the outcome must be “two states”.
Government sources quoted in the report said the proposals were Christodoulides’s, and that presenting them as Holguin’s could make them easier for Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side to accept.
What is not known
No crossing-point or demining agreement has been announced. It is not clear whether an announcement will come over the weekend or on Monday, whether the demining area will be widened, or what Fidan’s visit will produce.
It is also not clear exactly where the Kambos to Karavostasi crossing would run, or whether the four points in the package are the final list.
Why it matters
New crossing points would change daily journeys for residents who cross the island, particularly around Nicosia and the Lefka area. An agreement would also be a confidence-building measure from the current round of contacts.
Sources (7)
- Cyprus Mail, Fidan to visit north as talks intensify over four new crossing points, 5 November 2026 . Reports the Yeni Duzen account of the four crossing points and the expected Fidan visit.
- Politis, Fidan to meet Erhürman, Üstel and Ertuğruloğlu Tomorrow, 5 November 2026 . Cites Yeni Duzen on the four crossing points and Kibris Postasi on the working visit.
- Philenews, Turkish foreign minister to visit occupied north before UN meeting, 5 November 2026 . Gives Erhurman's account of the four points from the New York maps and the expected Fidan meetings.
- Cyprus Mail, UN confirms Monday meeting between Christodoulides, Erhurman and Holguin, 5 November 2026 . Confirms the time and place of Monday's trilateral meeting and the UN statement.
- Philenews, Crossings deal could pave way for UN push on Cyprus talks, 6 November 2026 . Reports the demining element, the size of the minefield area, the expected weekend announcement and the planned sequence of meetings.
- Philenews, UN envoy seeks four new checkpoints and demining in package deal, 5 November 2026 . Sets out the four crossing points, the demining dispute and the 2+1 and 5+1 meeting sequence, citing ANKA and Turkish diplomatic sources.
- Cyprus Mail, Christodoulides signals positive Cyprus developments, announcements possible over weekend, 5 November 2026 . Carries the president's remarks after his telephone call with Holguin, including the possibility of announcements over the weekend.