Turkish Cypriot Nicosia mayor Mehmet Harmanci on Thursday said he plans to “bring onto the agenda” the possible opening of a second crossing point in the capital’s old town.

Speaking to Kibris Postasi TV, he said a crossing point could be opened at the end of Kuyumcular street. The street runs from north to south past the front of the Selimiye mosque and the western side of the Bandabulya, northern Nicosia’s covered market.

The street is linked to Trikoupi street in the Republic, at the northern end of which is the Centre of information and education for employment and business action in vulnerable groups (Keeaed). The street runs southwards to the Ohi roundabout.

He added that he had already “brought our demands regarding crossing points onto the agenda”, having made a previous intervention calling for the Ledra Palace crossing point to be opened to civilian vehicles, and that his municipality had “clearly stated that we will provide financial and moral support”.

He also called on President Nikos Christodoulides to open himself up to the idea of opening more crossing points and said that work is already going ahead behind the scenes with this aim.

“The negotiators are actually cooking something underneath the surface. The reason why they are focusing on the leaders’ issues is that they will be held accountable. Think about it, would [Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin] Tatar want to be questioned as a president who cannot open crossing points or as a president who cannot take any steps on an issue which will benefit our lives?

“For this reason, I told him we are ready to write a success story with collective relations and diplomacy,” he said.

To this end, he said he was now holding weekly meetings with Greek Cypriot Nicosia mayor Charalambos Prountzos about the possibility of new crossing points being opened in the capital, and also reiterated his demand that Nicosia not be “held captive” by demands for crossing points in other parts of the country.

“We need a crossing point. This crossing point must not become a slave to other crossing points,” he said, referring to demands made by local officials in Athienou and Tillyria in recent months.

Both Tatar and Christodoulides had agreed at last month’s informal dinner with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to hold future meetings to discuss the opening of more crossing points.

Since then, the Athienou municipality told Christodoulides it “will not accept the opening of any crossing points if those openings do not include Pyroi”, a nearby village in the north.

Meanwhile, Pyrgos mukhtar Nikos Kleanthous warned that Tillyria residents would “react strongly” if priority is not given to the opening of a crossing point at the Kokkina exclave.

Tatar had pushed for the opening of a crossing point in Mia Milia on Nicosia’s eastern edge in June last year, but he had said the proposal met a stumbling block when the Greek Cypriot side suggested that a crossing point be opened in Kokkina.

He had at the time poured cold water on the idea of a crossing point in Kokkina, saying that it is not possible to open a crossing point there as it is a “sacred area” and functions as a military base.