Statement of President Ersin Tatar on the congestion and long traffic queues that is inflicting significant hardship at border crossing points
“The Greek Cypriot leader uses the hardship inflicted on our People at border crossings as a tool of blackmail”
President Ersin Tatar issued a written statement regarding the hardship experienced by Turkish Cypriots when crossing to the south:
“Christodoulides’ Vehicular Crossing Blackmail”
Yesterday, once again, everyone could clearly see the politics and mindset of our interlocutor. The difficulties normally faced by our citizens who want to cross to the south have turned into real intolerable hardship, especially on holidays. From our very first meeting, even before he took office, I have been explaining to my Greek Cypriot counterpart the necessity of opening a new border crossing point that allows vehicular passage. However, Christodoulides’ approach has reached a point where he seems to take pleasure in causing suffering not only to our People but also to his own. There can be no other explanation for this mindset.
Our Police General Directorate, in its statement yesterday, clearly explained the reason for the congestion. The statement stressed that, in addition to insufficient staff, the Greek Cypriot side slowed down immigration checks at the crossings and is restricting vehicle traffic to a single operational lane, deliberately creating significant hardship for our People who want to use the border crossings.
To those who, with populist rhetoric, try to place the blame for this situation on us, I want to point out that such unfounded claims only serve to normalise the rigid approach of the Greek Cypriot leadership. If you think you can gain votes by exploiting the hardships imposed on our People, this is a rather naive approach. What our interlocutor wants most is the normalisation of intransigence. Saying “everything will improve if I am elected” is as populist as one can get. If you do not have a secret engagement with the Greek Cypriot administration behind closed doors, then do not be supporters of this rigid and oppressive policy of theirs. And if you have forged such an alliance with the Greek Cypriot leadership, then come forward and honestly tell our People. If a candidate is cooperating with the Greek Cypriot policy of oppression, our People have the right to know this.
Approximately 8.5 million crossings per year
At the current nine crossing points, an annual average of about 8.5 million immigration checks are conducted. This is a significant number, and the number of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots using the border crossings are almost equal. When looking at vehicular crossings, 65 per cent of these occur at the Metehan crossing point in Lefkoşa. The international community also supports the opening of new border crossings and is quite disturbed by the attitude of blocking the opening of a new border crossing points by the Greek Cypriot administration.
The historic step of Founding President Denktaş
Our Founding President, Rauf Raif Denktaş, had taken the initiative and opened the first border crossing point on 23 April 2003. He perhaps took one of the most important steps in the history of the island, exposing the factual realities on the ground for all to see, and opening the door to the inevitable collapse of primitive Greek Cypriot policies. This process, which advanced according to the needs of both sides and both Peoples, was at times exploited for political purposes within the romanticism of federation.
The three crossing points between Yeşilırmak and Nicosia were particularly opened for the benefit of the Greek Cypriot people. It is a known fact that these crossings were used predominantly by Greek Cypriots, with the difference in numbers reaching up to tenfold. The Turkish Cypriot side never voiced this as a complaint. Since the 1974 Peace Operation, which determined the borders on the island, our sole objective has been to ensure that the two States living side-by-side continue their lives in peace and tranquillity, in good neighbourliness.
About two years ago, following the demand from both our People and professional organisations and business circles, primarily the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce and the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry, we launched a study. First, through consultations with stakeholders, we identified the most suitable location to meet the need, primarily to increase trade between the two sides.
Among these stakeholders was also the Greek Cypriot Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which supported the opening of a new crossing point to boost trade. After effective consultations with Lefkoşa Turkish Municipality, our authorities on border security, and infrastructure for the border crossing points, we put forward our Haspolat crossing proposal to the Greek Cypriot side. This proposal was welcomed and supported by the international community, including the UN and the EU. After a long period of evasiveness, the Greek Cypriot leader finally realised on 15 October 2024 that he had to take the matter seriously.
At the bilateral meeting we held with Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, during the UN General Assembly last year, we agreed to meet again with the Greek Cypriot leader at a dinner in New York on 15 October. That dinner was one of the most important meetings in Cyprus negotiation history. After the dinner, hosted at the UN Headquarters by the Secretary-General, Mr. Guterres’ written statement was very clear.
After the 15 October dinner, the Secretary-General stated that there was no common ground between the sides for a new and formal process -- meaning federation was no longer a common ground between the sides -- whilst also noting that the parties had agreed to hold talks on opening a new crossing point.
When we returned to the island and met with the Greek Cypriot leader in the buffer zone, he put forward preconditions for opening a new crossing point with an outdated, familiar maximalist attitude. It is clear from his unrealistic, populist rhetoric aimed at winning votes, that it is necessary to remind everyone what these maximalist conditions were:
First, a so-called “transit corridor” from Kiracıköy to South Nicosia, starting from the buffer zone, passing through part of our territory, and continuing again through the buffer zone. In his mind, without even touching the territory of the Greek Cypriot side, he would extend his authority into the buffer zone. This so-called proposal is nothing but an attempt to gain territory and create a horizontal corridor that does not even fit the definition of a crossing point, thus extending authority into the buffer zone and gaining military advantage.
I explained to Christodoulides that if his aim was to facilitate access to Lefkoşa for residents of Kiracıköy in the buffer zone, whether Turkish Cypriots or Greek Cypriots, I had a proposal that would serve all residents in the area and meet broader needs. That is how the Akıncılar proposal developed. For years, our people living in the village have demanded for a new crossing point to be opened. Until then, the opening of an Akıncılar crossing had never been proposed -- I was the one who made this very proposal.
With this proposal, the Greek Cypriot intentions were revealed: their aim was not to open a new crossing, but to gain territory, extend their authority into the buffer zone, and gain military advantage. Which President, truly devoted to his country and People, could bow to such an insistence? Of course I did not, and it is impossible for me to accept such unilateral impositions.
The other so-called element was a transit passage linking the coastline of Erenköy to the Greek Cypriot administration. Erenköy is the symbol of our glorious resistance. It is one of our most sacred places, where our 11-year struggle for survival began. The Greek Cypriot leadership imagines that by increasing difficulties at the crossings and creating political pressure, they could enter these areas. We will never allow Greek Cypriot elements to step into even a centimetre of Erenköy, and as long as we are here, this will never happen. Those who think they can extend Greek Cypriot authority to Erenköy will find both us and our People standing against them.
At the second informal meeting held in Geneva in March 2025, we also brought up the issue of opening new crossing points, which had been blocked due to Greek Cypriot intransigence. Numerous meetings had been held on the island, both at the leadership and technical levels. There, with the great efforts of the Secretary-General, we agreed to work on six new areas of cooperation. One of these was the opening of four new crossing points. In the presence of the UN Secretary-General, I asked the Greek Cypriot leader: “You will not bring in the transit corridor issue, will you?” He replied: “I will also have new crossing proposals.” As soon as we returned to the island, unsurprisingly, he put the same elements back on the table.
Even after that summit, we did not give up. We continued our consultations with Maria Holguín, reappointed as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, with a new mandate. We also put forward our creative proposals. At the third informal meeting in New York this past July, the Greek Cypriot leader insisted on his intransigent stance.
The point we have reached is this: the Greek Cypriot administration is openly prolonging the waiting of our People at the crossing points, creating significant hardship that is tantamount to “torture”, and continuing to use this as political leverage and blackmail.
Now, the opposition turns to us and says we could not open a new border crossing point. Why are you hiding the facts that are plain for everyone to see, including the international press? Or does it not suit your agenda? If new crossing points have not been opened, the only reason is the blackmail policy of the Greek Cypriot side. We took sincere steps for our People -- it is the Greek Cypriot side that blocked the process. Instead of empty, federalism rhetoric that leads nowhere, the opposition candidate and his supporters should openly tell the People who is obstructing the opening of new crossing points. And if in their minds they intend to hand over Erenköy and strategic points in the buffer zone to Greek Cypriot authority, they should also say so honestly, so that everybody understands where they stand.”
“Christodoulides’ Vehicular Crossing Blackmail”
Yesterday, once again, everyone could clearly see the politics and mindset of our interlocutor. The difficulties normally faced by our citizens who want to cross to the south have turned into real intolerable hardship, especially on holidays. From our very first meeting, even before he took office, I have been explaining to my Greek Cypriot counterpart the necessity of opening a new border crossing point that allows vehicular passage. However, Christodoulides’ approach has reached a point where he seems to take pleasure in causing suffering not only to our People but also to his own. There can be no other explanation for this mindset.
Our Police General Directorate, in its statement yesterday, clearly explained the reason for the congestion. The statement stressed that, in addition to insufficient staff, the Greek Cypriot side slowed down immigration checks at the crossings and is restricting vehicle traffic to a single operational lane, deliberately creating significant hardship for our People who want to use the border crossings.
To those who, with populist rhetoric, try to place the blame for this situation on us, I want to point out that such unfounded claims only serve to normalise the rigid approach of the Greek Cypriot leadership. If you think you can gain votes by exploiting the hardships imposed on our People, this is a rather naive approach. What our interlocutor wants most is the normalisation of intransigence. Saying “everything will improve if I am elected” is as populist as one can get. If you do not have a secret engagement with the Greek Cypriot administration behind closed doors, then do not be supporters of this rigid and oppressive policy of theirs. And if you have forged such an alliance with the Greek Cypriot leadership, then come forward and honestly tell our People. If a candidate is cooperating with the Greek Cypriot policy of oppression, our People have the right to know this.
Approximately 8.5 million crossings per year
At the current nine crossing points, an annual average of about 8.5 million immigration checks are conducted. This is a significant number, and the number of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots using the border crossings are almost equal. When looking at vehicular crossings, 65 per cent of these occur at the Metehan crossing point in Lefkoşa. The international community also supports the opening of new border crossings and is quite disturbed by the attitude of blocking the opening of a new border crossing points by the Greek Cypriot administration.
The historic step of Founding President Denktaş
Our Founding President, Rauf Raif Denktaş, had taken the initiative and opened the first border crossing point on 23 April 2003. He perhaps took one of the most important steps in the history of the island, exposing the factual realities on the ground for all to see, and opening the door to the inevitable collapse of primitive Greek Cypriot policies. This process, which advanced according to the needs of both sides and both Peoples, was at times exploited for political purposes within the romanticism of federation.
The three crossing points between Yeşilırmak and Nicosia were particularly opened for the benefit of the Greek Cypriot people. It is a known fact that these crossings were used predominantly by Greek Cypriots, with the difference in numbers reaching up to tenfold. The Turkish Cypriot side never voiced this as a complaint. Since the 1974 Peace Operation, which determined the borders on the island, our sole objective has been to ensure that the two States living side-by-side continue their lives in peace and tranquillity, in good neighbourliness.
About two years ago, following the demand from both our People and professional organisations and business circles, primarily the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce and the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry, we launched a study. First, through consultations with stakeholders, we identified the most suitable location to meet the need, primarily to increase trade between the two sides.
Among these stakeholders was also the Greek Cypriot Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which supported the opening of a new crossing point to boost trade. After effective consultations with Lefkoşa Turkish Municipality, our authorities on border security, and infrastructure for the border crossing points, we put forward our Haspolat crossing proposal to the Greek Cypriot side. This proposal was welcomed and supported by the international community, including the UN and the EU. After a long period of evasiveness, the Greek Cypriot leader finally realised on 15 October 2024 that he had to take the matter seriously.
At the bilateral meeting we held with Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, during the UN General Assembly last year, we agreed to meet again with the Greek Cypriot leader at a dinner in New York on 15 October. That dinner was one of the most important meetings in Cyprus negotiation history. After the dinner, hosted at the UN Headquarters by the Secretary-General, Mr. Guterres’ written statement was very clear.
After the 15 October dinner, the Secretary-General stated that there was no common ground between the sides for a new and formal process -- meaning federation was no longer a common ground between the sides -- whilst also noting that the parties had agreed to hold talks on opening a new crossing point.
When we returned to the island and met with the Greek Cypriot leader in the buffer zone, he put forward preconditions for opening a new crossing point with an outdated, familiar maximalist attitude. It is clear from his unrealistic, populist rhetoric aimed at winning votes, that it is necessary to remind everyone what these maximalist conditions were:
First, a so-called “transit corridor” from Kiracıköy to South Nicosia, starting from the buffer zone, passing through part of our territory, and continuing again through the buffer zone. In his mind, without even touching the territory of the Greek Cypriot side, he would extend his authority into the buffer zone. This so-called proposal is nothing but an attempt to gain territory and create a horizontal corridor that does not even fit the definition of a crossing point, thus extending authority into the buffer zone and gaining military advantage.
I explained to Christodoulides that if his aim was to facilitate access to Lefkoşa for residents of Kiracıköy in the buffer zone, whether Turkish Cypriots or Greek Cypriots, I had a proposal that would serve all residents in the area and meet broader needs. That is how the Akıncılar proposal developed. For years, our people living in the village have demanded for a new crossing point to be opened. Until then, the opening of an Akıncılar crossing had never been proposed -- I was the one who made this very proposal.
With this proposal, the Greek Cypriot intentions were revealed: their aim was not to open a new crossing, but to gain territory, extend their authority into the buffer zone, and gain military advantage. Which President, truly devoted to his country and People, could bow to such an insistence? Of course I did not, and it is impossible for me to accept such unilateral impositions.
The other so-called element was a transit passage linking the coastline of Erenköy to the Greek Cypriot administration. Erenköy is the symbol of our glorious resistance. It is one of our most sacred places, where our 11-year struggle for survival began. The Greek Cypriot leadership imagines that by increasing difficulties at the crossings and creating political pressure, they could enter these areas. We will never allow Greek Cypriot elements to step into even a centimetre of Erenköy, and as long as we are here, this will never happen. Those who think they can extend Greek Cypriot authority to Erenköy will find both us and our People standing against them.
At the second informal meeting held in Geneva in March 2025, we also brought up the issue of opening new crossing points, which had been blocked due to Greek Cypriot intransigence. Numerous meetings had been held on the island, both at the leadership and technical levels. There, with the great efforts of the Secretary-General, we agreed to work on six new areas of cooperation. One of these was the opening of four new crossing points. In the presence of the UN Secretary-General, I asked the Greek Cypriot leader: “You will not bring in the transit corridor issue, will you?” He replied: “I will also have new crossing proposals.” As soon as we returned to the island, unsurprisingly, he put the same elements back on the table.
Even after that summit, we did not give up. We continued our consultations with Maria Holguín, reappointed as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, with a new mandate. We also put forward our creative proposals. At the third informal meeting in New York this past July, the Greek Cypriot leader insisted on his intransigent stance.
The point we have reached is this: the Greek Cypriot administration is openly prolonging the waiting of our People at the crossing points, creating significant hardship that is tantamount to “torture”, and continuing to use this as political leverage and blackmail.
Now, the opposition turns to us and says we could not open a new border crossing point. Why are you hiding the facts that are plain for everyone to see, including the international press? Or does it not suit your agenda? If new crossing points have not been opened, the only reason is the blackmail policy of the Greek Cypriot side. We took sincere steps for our People -- it is the Greek Cypriot side that blocked the process. Instead of empty, federalism rhetoric that leads nowhere, the opposition candidate and his supporters should openly tell the People who is obstructing the opening of new crossing points. And if in their minds they intend to hand over Erenköy and strategic points in the buffer zone to Greek Cypriot authority, they should also say so honestly, so that everybody understands where they stand.”