A planned crossing point linking the Nicosia district village of Lympia and the adjacent Turkish Cypriot village of Louroujina could be opened as quickly as 10 days after being given the go-ahead, Turkish Cypriot Kythrea and Louroujina mayor Ali Karavezirler said on Monday.

Speaking to newspaper Yeni Duzen, he said that as soon as his municipality is given the go-ahead, workers will “quickly step in”.

“We will quickly complete the asphalting work, prepare the electricity and telephone infrastructure, and the arrangements regarding the crossing point in a period of around 10 days,” he said.

He added that it is not only his village’s infrastructure, but its people who are ready for a new crossing point to open.

“People living in Louroujina are warm-blooded, affectionate, hardworking, and they earn their living through toil. When the crossing point is opened, they will look for ways to bring home the bread from different fields. I believe in this, and I trust in this, and they will be successful in this regard,” he began.

“Let the crossing points open everywhere. Let a period of peace come, so that there is no need for crossing points. Just as I believed in the Louroujina crossing point on my first day as mayor, I will continue on my path with the same faith and determination, together with everyone on our team.”

He was asked about fears over the area’s security, given the allegations of smuggling activities taking place in Louroujina and the shooting of 24-year-old Shoaib Khan by the police as he attempted to cross to nearby Potamia last month, but was keen to point out that the issue is not exclusive to Louroujina.

“There may be some problems in different regions, not just in Louroujina. They also ask if there is a security problem, but there definitely is not now. Just as there is no problem now, there definitely will not be one when the crossing point opens,” he said.

On the matter of whether the Greek Cypriot side will agree to open a crossing point between Louroujina and Lympia, he said Greek Cypriot Athienou mayor Kyriacos Kareklas had visited him in 2023 alongside officials from the European Union and the United Nations.

He said they had suggested a road westwards from Athienou through Pyroi, and that “I said that I was against it and that it was not possible for me to convey this to either [Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar], government officials, or military units.

“I told them that if a roundabout would be built at Pyroi and a crossing point would be opened at Lympia, I would convey this to the relevant authorities. We marked it on the map and gave it to them 17 months ago,” he said.

Asked about the prospects of the crossing point actually opening, he said he is optimistic, and that it may even open as early as this summer.

“There is a really positive atmosphere right now, and I hope the result of that positive atmosphere is also good. There is light, the result is maybe not too far away. It is close. I feel like it will open in August or September,” he said.

Ersin Tatar in Louroujina on Monday

Tatar then visited Louroujina on Monday afternoon, meeting Karavezirler and giving a speech to a small gathering of local residents.

There, he emphasised “the importance of the historical, national, and cultural value” of Louroujina, and said he was fully behind the idea of a crossing point being opened there.

“The Turkish Cypriots made concessions during the process of opening the Limnitis, Apliki, and Astromeritis crossing points, but received nothing in return. After consultations, we sent a request to the Greek Cypriot side through the UN to open the Louroujina crossing point,” he said.

He added that Nicosia’s Ayios Dhometios crossing point is already oversaturated, and that “this will only intensify” when all three branches of the north’s administration moves to Ayios Dhometios this year.

“The crossing points to be opened at Mia Milia and Louroujina will reduce this, especially in terms of trade and in terms of transportation to the airports,” he said.

He said President Nikos Christodoulides had demanded that an eight-item package of measures be implemented in exchange for the opening of the Louroujina crossing point, but that among these eight items were “transit roads” – roads connecting the Republic to other parts of the Republic.

On this, he said, “transit roads are definitely not possible”.

For Louroujina, he said, a new crossing point will “allow the village to return to the good old days”, with the village, which is currently home to around 400 people, formerly having been home to a population ten times that.

For this reason, he said, “I ask Christodoulides to be reasonable on this issue”.

Earlier, Karavezirler had said the village is ready to “complete the 380-metre distance” between itself and Lympia.

The village of Lympia is located immediately south of Louroujina, with the town of Dali and the village of Potamia being located to the west and northwest.

With no adjacent crossing point, Louroujina’s only transport link to the rest of the island is a single road which heads northwards and under the runway of Ercan (Tymbou) airport towards the main road between northern Nicosia and Famagusta.

Negotiations between the island’s two sides over the possible opening of new crossing points are ongoing.

Tatar may meet Christodoulides this week, with his special representative Gunes Onar having told the Cyprus Mail that the Turkish Cypriot side will suggest that the meeting take place on Friday.

Then, both Tatar and Christodoulides are expected to meet UN under-secretary-general for peacebuilding Rosemary DiCarlo when she visits the island on February 10.