🇷🇺🇨🇾 Russia welcomes agreement to open two new crossing points in Cyprus On 9 November, following a trilateral meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín, President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman agreed to open two new crossing points across the buffer zone at the same time: Louroujina-Lympia and Kampos-Karavostasi. Once they open, the number of operational crossing points will rise from nine to eleven. According to the UN mission in Cyprus, the sides also agreed to share archival material and carry out joint environmental projects. The bicommunal Technical Committee on Crisis Management was tasked with developing a rapid response mechanism for emergencies, while the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage will begin restoring several Maronite churches and the Surb Magar Armenian monastery in the north of the island. In the coming weeks, the leaders of the two communities will hold a trilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. 🎙 Speaking to TASS, Russian Ambassador to Cyprus Murat Zyazikov welcomed the agreements reached under UN auspices and noted progress in implementing confidence-building measures between the two communities. 💬 “Today’s agreement to open two new crossing points at the same time will make it easier for residents and visitors alike to travel between the areas where Cyprus’s two communities live. It will give people more options for travelling around the island, ease movement between the south and the north, and encourage closer contact between the communities. People-to-people ties across the buffer zone help build mutual understanding and cooperation.” The Ambassador highlighted the role of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy in bringing the sides’ positions closer together. He said he had discussed progress towards a Cyprus settlement with María Ángela Holguín a few days earlier. During that discussion, they noted the two leaders’ willingness to overcome their differences and address outstanding issues at their weekly meetings. 💬 “Moscow supports a comprehensive, viable and just solution to the Cyprus problem. Such a solution must first and foremost serve the interests of both communities on the island. Only Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots themselves can achieve it, through constructive dialogue between their leaders under the auspices of the United Nations. This approach serves the aims of the Cyprus settlement process and contributes to peace, security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.”