President Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday night called for Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar to have “positive” intentions when the pair meet over the matter of opening new crossing points between the island’s two sides next Monday.

“I hope there will be a positive result. I am going there with the intention of there being a positive result. I also hope Tatar will come with the same intentions so that we can announce results, which will be beneficial for the Cypriot people as a whole,” he said.

Asked whether a crossing point in the village of Pyroi is on the table, he said, “I am not going into specific reports publicly”.

“Of course, we have a plan, of course, we have red lines, of course, we know what we are seeking at this meeting, but if we have a public debate, a public confrontation, what is the reason for us to meet?”

Tatar and Christodoulides are yet to see eye to eye on the matter of crossing points and where they should be opened, with Tatar having criticised the Greek Cypriot side’s approach on the matter in recent weeks.

Tatar has in the past said that while his aim is to open new crossing points linking the Republic and the north, he believes it is the Greek Cypriot side’s aim to open what would effectively be transit roads connecting the Republic with other parts of the Republic.

“We wanted a crossing point at Mia Milia, while the Greek Cypriot side wanted to transit through the Turkish military areas near Athienou and Kokkina. This is unacceptable,” he said.

A crossing point near Athienou, for example, would cut journey times for people from Cyprus’ southeast to Nicosia if connected to another crossing point on the western side of the part of territory held by the north which juts southwards to encompass the village of Louroujina.

Meanwhile, while a crossing point near the Kokkina exclave would make life easier for the residents of the surrounding Greek Cypriot villages, the exclave itself has a civilian population of zero, thus raising questions of whether such a crossing point would be beneficial for Turkish Cypriots.

Tatar visited Mia Milia alongside Turkish Cypriot Nicosia mayor Mehmet Harmanci earlier this month in a public show of support for a new crossing point.

“They are accusing us of not taking any steps, of not responding, and of having an uncompromising attitude, and I am here today to respond to them,” Tatar began.

He added that the issue of crossing points is “constantly on the agenda” and that it was discussed at his informal dinner with President Nikos Christodoulides and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in October.

“We said we would approach it positively, but three months have passed, and no agreement has been reached. I came here today to meet with the local people and to conduct an on-site inspection. Opening a crossing point here will benefit the country,” he said.

Harmanci said his municipality “has the ability to provide all kinds of support for the opening of a new crossing point”, and said that he has been calling for a new crossing point in Cyprus’ capital city since 2015.

“We are reiterating our demand for a crossing point in Mia Milia. Nicosia needs a new crossing point to be opened. Opening every possible crossing point in Nicosia will contribute to a solution to the Cyprus problem … If this is one of the most suitable points, and it will contribute to trade and civilian crossings, it must be opened as soon as possible,” he said.

Harmanci aside, local politicians on both sides of the island, the Greek Cypriot Athienou municipality, Greek Cypriot Kato Pyrgos mukhtar Nikos Kleanthous, and Turkish Cypriot Kythrea mayor Ali Karavezierler all, unsurprisingly, have come out in favour of crossing points in their own local areas.