Greek Cypriot negotiator Menelaos Menelaou said on Wednesday that problems over the routing of the Pyroi crossing point “have been overcome”, although a dispute over a second crossing point still stands in the way of an agreement.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Menelaou said the remaining obstacle was the Turkish Cypriot demand that the Louroujina to Lympia crossing be included in any such deal.

He said the Louroujina issue remains open and has not yet been reconciled with the Greek Cypriot proposal for a crossing at Kokkina.

The earlier dispute concerned the route of the proposed road from Athienou through Pyroi to the Nicosia suburb of Aglandjia.

The Greek Cypriot side treats it as a single crossing, while the Turkish Cypriot side objected to a road running through so many kilometres of the buffer zone, arguing that it created security complications.

Menelaou told the Cyprus Mail the route now sits roughly evenly, between the government-controlled areas and the occupied north.

Pyroi is a ruined village in the north, inside a Turkish military zone, whose residents have been displaced since 1974.

Athienou lies on the government-controlled side, and a crossing would cut the drive from there to Nicosia from up to an hour to about ten minutes.

Christodoulides said on Tuesday that he had given Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman two new proposals on crossing points, one of which had already been rejected.

Erhurman separately confirmed late on Tuesday that he had rejected a proposal to open the fenced-off area of Varosha under United Nations administration and the port of Famagusta under European Union control.

He said formal negotiations could not begin until the sides agree on methodology and make progress on confidence-building measures.

New crossing points are the most concrete of those measures, as both sides agreed on a package of four after an enlarged meeting in Geneva in March 2025, when UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told each side to suggest two.

The Greek Cypriot side proposed the Athienou to Aglandjia road, with a crossing at each end, while the Turkish Cypriot side proposed Mia Milia and Louroujina.

The package has since stalled, for during Guterres’ visit in July, sources told the Cyprus Mail that the Greek Cypriot side suggested opening only two of the four, with Louroujina shelved, which the Turkish Cypriot side refused.

The prospects of holding a broader meeting on the Cyprus problem would depend on two parallel diplomatic efforts, involving discussions under United Nations auspices and initiatives by the European Union, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Tuesday.

Speaking after his meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, Christodoulides said the outcome would depend on talks concerning the substance and methodology of negotiations during the upcoming visit of the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin, as well as the results of ongoing EU diplomatic contacts.

Christodoulides said an important meeting involving the EU was taking place on Tuesday but declined to confirm whether he was referring to a meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and European Council President Antonio Costa.

“I do not want to say anything before the EU makes an announcement,” he said, adding that Nicosia expected to be informed of the outcome later in the day.

‘Good meeting’ with Erhurman

Describing his meeting with Erhurman as “a good meeting”, Christodoulides said most of the discussion had focused on substantive issues and methodology.

“There were many questions and clarifications from both sides,” he said, adding that these discussions would continue during Holguin’s visit, which begins on October 29.

The visit will include separate meetings with the two leaders and a trilateral meeting scheduled for November 9.

On confidence-building measures, Christodoulides said he was still awaiting responses from Erhurman to several proposals submitted by the Greek Cypriot side.

Of the 19 proposals he had previously put forward, approximately six or seven remained unanswered, while others had been rejected.

“Just because something has been rejected does not mean we do not bring it back to the table,” he said, pointing to the Technical Committee on Youth, which he said had taken two years to gain acceptance.

Opening more crossing points

On the issue of crossing points, the president said he had submitted two alternative proposals, one of which had been rejected, while the other remained under consideration.

He said Erhurman had requested further clarification and was expected to respond at their next meeting.

He stressed that opening a crossing point at Pyroi-Athienou remained a fundamental requirement.

The president also welcomed progress on initiatives concerning the environment and cultural heritage, which were included in the joint UN statement issued after Tuesday’s meeting.

He said Erhurman had responded positively to a proposal for the exchange of cultural artefacts between the two communities, allowing them to proceed with the exchange of relevant lists.

Joint environmental initiatives will also be pursued through the Technical Committee on the Environment.

Holguin to visit later this month

Asked about his upcoming meetings with Holguin, Christodoulides said he was prepared to meet her as often as necessary.

“If daily meetings are needed, that is my priority,” he said, adding that he would also be willing to attend an earlier joint meeting if the UN envoy considered it necessary.

He confirmed that he expected to meet Erhurman again before Holguin’s arrival, possibly next Tuesday.

Asked whether he would request the UN provide a document outlining previous convergences before negotiations resume, Christodoulides declined to elaborate.

“On these matters, I prefer to act first and inform you afterwards,” he said.

Before Holguin’s arrival, Christodoulides and Erhurman intend to meet with the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, the Technical Committee on Youth and the Steering Committee of the Civil Society Consultative Body.

President Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday that the United Nations has proposed dates for a joint meeting between the leaders of the two communities and the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy on Cyprus Maria Angela Holguin, with the Greek Cypriot side having already responded positively.

Christodoulides said he was approaching Tuesday’s meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman with the sole aim of achieving positive developments.

“I am going to the meeting with one and only one objective: to have positive developments,” he said.

“We have a discussion which has begun and is continuing, and I hope we will have a positive outcome. We have also been given some dates for Ms Holguin’s arrival and a joint meeting between the three of us.

“We have responded positively. I believe the Turkish Cypriot leader will also have responded positively, and I genuinely hope that tomorrow we will have positive news to announce,” he added.

Asked when Holguin was expected to arrive in Cyprus, Christodoulides said the announcement would be made by the United Nations, confirming that her visit would take place before the end of October.

On whether Tuesday’s meeting could result in an announcement on the opening of four new crossing points, the president said the Greek Cypriot side was ready to proceed, provided there was a positive response from the Turkish Cypriot side.

“I hope there will be. We are ready. If there is a response, of course we are ready to proceed with such an announcement,” he said.

He added that the Greek Cypriot side was also prepared to move forward on other issues raised by the UN Secretary-General, including the substance of negotiations, methodology and confidence-building measures.

Asked whether there had been a positive response from the Turkish Cypriot side, Christodoulides declined to speak on its behalf.