Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, has every good intention to consult again with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci if this is required, Government Spokesman, Kyriakos Koushos has told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has sent both to President Anastasiades and Akinci letters in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a typical letter which the UNSG sends in the framework of his good offices to all leaders and particularly to leaders of countries where there are conflicts, calling on them to cooperate to combat the pandemic,” Koushos said.

He also noted that in the case of Cyprus the UN Secretary General suggested that bicommunal Technical Committees should be further boosted and that there shall be cooperation for the re-opening of the crossing points on the island.

As regards the issue of the crossing points, Koushos reiterated that “the Republic of Cyprus will decide, when conditions allow it, the re-opening of the crossing points based on clearly health-related criteria for the safety of the citizens, based on the experts’ advice, without any political criteria, in the same way as there were no political criteria when we suspended the operation of four crossing points.”

The Republic of Cyprus’ cabinet decided on February 28 to suspend the operation of four crossing points (Ledras Street, Astromeritis, Lefka and Dherynia), as a precaution against COVID-19 continuing to allow the crossing in another five crossing points.

The “authorities” of the Turkish Cypriot puppet regime prohibited all crossings from mid-March. On April 11 the prohibition expanded to include the diplomatic corps and members of the UN.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led reunification talks have so far failed to yield a positive outcome.