Cyprus rivals agree first new crossings in nearly a decade

Two new vehicle crossings will soon cut through the U.N.-controlled buffer zone splitting Cyprus, the first additions in nearly a decade. Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman struck the deal Monday. There's no opening date yet, but both checkpoints will launch at the same time, one in the island's northwest and one in the southeast.

Nine crossings currently span the 180-kilometer (120-mile) buffer zone that divides the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north from the Greek Cypriot south, home to the internationally recognized government. Long lines of cars at those checkpoints have long frustrated drivers, and the two new openings are meant to ease access for the thousands who cross daily.

The agreement carries more weight than the traffic it relieves. It follows months of trust-building discussions between the two leaders, and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres' personal envoy for Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín, had warned in recent interviews with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot media that formal peace talks were unlikely to resume without at least a deal on new crossings. The announcement came after Christodoulides and Erhurman met Holguín inside the buffer zone on the capital's western outskirts.

Christodoulides said the outcome could have been “clearly better, more,” but stressed that real progress had been made. Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded after supporters of union with Greece mounted a coup backed by the Greek junta then ruling the country. Turkish Cypriots declared independence in the island's northern third in 1983, a state only Turkey recognizes, and Ankara keeps more than 35,000 troops there.

Deep rifts persist. Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots argue the long-held, U.N.-endorsed formula of reunifying Cyprus as a federation is obsolete, and that two separate states are the only realistic arrangement. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that “it is time to accept the reality that there are two separate peoples and two separate states on the island,” urging others to recognize the breakaway north, according to Turkey's Anadolu news agency. Greek Cypriots reject formal partition, along with Turkish demands for a permanent post-settlement military presence and intervention rights they view as existential threats.