Speaking to Kanal Sim on 16 September, Turkish-Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman said the north is “ready to make progress” on seven confidence-building measures identified by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The list includes opening new Green Line crossings and creating a joint disaster-response and irregular-migration mechanism. Crossings: Erhürman signalled willingness to finalise sites for additional crossings beyond the existing nine. More legal crossing points could ease congestion and facilitate the daily commute of some 30,000 Turkish-Cypriots who work in the south, as well as EU citizens visiting the north. Businesses on both sides—especially retailers in Nicosia’s walled city and service firms in Limassol that employ Turkish-Cypriot talent—stand to benefit from faster crossings. Irregular migration: Both administrations accuse traffickers of funnelling asylum seekers through the UN-controlled buffer zone. A joint mechanism could allow real-time data-sharing and coordinated patrols, something EU experts have privately encouraged as a prerequisite for Cyprus’ eventual Schengen entry. It would also dovetail with the Commission’s proposed EU Emergency Response Framework. Citizenship of ‘mixed-marriage’ children: Erhürman said the north is open to resolving citizenship issues for children born to Turkish-Cypriots and non-EU spouses—many of whom currently face hurdles obtaining Republic of Cyprus papers. Clarifying their status could unlock work rights and mobility for hundreds of bi-communal families, a move welcomed by multinational employers seeking to diversify talent pools. Next steps: Erhürman will raise the proposals when he meets Guterres in New York next week. The Greek-Cypriot side has yet to respond formally, but diplomats believe incremental agreements on mobility could build trust ahead of any broader settlement talks.
Source: Cyprus Inform
