Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot politicians meeting at Ledra Palace under the auspices of the Slovak Embassy visited Lefka crossing on Wednesday, to inspect the work underway for the opening of the checkpoint.
Lefka, a large mixed village in the Turkish occupied north of Cyprus, is 52 km west of the capital Nicosia. Nestled between mountains and sea, it connects with Karavostasi village (4km) and Xeros (around 4.5km), in the south with Apliki village and south-easterly with Skouriotisa.
Heading the delegation of political party representatives from both sides, Slovak Ambassador Oksana Tomova said that today`s visit to Lefka and the one last week to Dherynia checkpoint are very important as they represent the effort of the political parties that are taking part in the dialogue under the Slovak Embassy to support confidence building and peaceful co-existence between the two communities on the island.
She said the opening of crossings remains one of the most Confidence Building Measures agreed between the leaders of the two communities. “Today`s visit should encourage those who are involved in the process and the project to and allow for the opening of the crossings as soon as possible”, she added.
She thanked UNFICYP, UNDP, the European Commission and the Technical Committee on Crossings as well as Lefka mayor Aziz Kaya for their support to the who process.
On his part, Kaya, speaking through an interpreter said he expects the Greek Cypriot side and UNFICYP to complete the crossing the soonest as it is something which Lefka people want too.He also said work on the crossing is expected to be completed early next year.
In the government controlled part, work began on the 2.6 km road that leads to Lefka while the Turkish Cypriot side is working on a 1.5 km road. Tenders for work on the 200-300 km road in the UN controlled buffer zone, however, are still pending.
Kaya said that the opening of the crossing would economically benefit Lefka while both communities can also exploit the fact that the region combines both sea and mountains.
Tomova pledged that Slovakia, which has been working with the two communities for 28 years, will continue offering its support.
The two delegations also visited the only remaining church in Lefka, the church of Panagia Akentou which is under the Small Project Activities of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage. The church is a a single-aisled barrel-vaulted medieval church and after the 1974 Turkish invasion was looted and severely damaged in a fire which left its interior completely burnt.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. UN-led talks between Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have been underway since May 2015 with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.