Menelaou says Pyroi routing issues resolved, but crossing deal remains blocked
Menelaos Menelaou says the Pyroi route is no longer an obstacle, but disagreement over Louroujina and Kokkina continues to prevent a crossing-point agreement.
Nicosia, Cyprus. Greek Cypriot negotiator Menelaos Menelaou said on Wednesday that difficulties concerning the route for the proposed Pyroi crossing had been resolved. However, disagreement over another crossing continues to block an agreement.
Louroujina demand remains unresolved
In an interview with CyBC, Menelaou identified the outstanding obstacle as the Turkish Cypriot insistence on including a crossing between Louroujina and Lympia in any agreement. That demand remains unreconciled with the Greek Cypriot proposal to establish a crossing at Kokkina.
The proposed Pyroi crossing would be located near Athienou, in the south-eastern part of Nicosia district, close to Louroujina village and the buffer zone.
Under the Greek Cypriot proposal, a road would connect Athienou to Aglandjia, a suburb of Nicosia, with crossings at both ends. The Turkish Cypriot proposals were for Mia Milia and Louroujina.
New proposals and conditions for negotiations
Christodoulides said on Tuesday that he had submitted two additional crossing-point proposals to Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, and that one had already been turned down.
In a separate statement late on Tuesday, Erhurman confirmed rejecting a proposal that would place the opening of Varosha’s fenced-off area under United Nations administration and Famagusta port under European Union control.
Erhurman said the start of formal negotiations depended on agreement between the two sides over methodology, alongside progress on confidence-building measures.
Four-crossing package remains stalled
Additional crossings represent the most concrete confidence-building measure. Following an expanded meeting held in Geneva in March 2025, the two sides agreed to a four-crossing package after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asked each side to put forward two proposals.
The package subsequently stalled. Sources told the Cyprus Mail during Guterres’ July visit that the Greek Cypriot side had proposed proceeding with just two crossings out of the four and putting Louroujina aside. According to those sources, the Turkish Cypriot side rejected that approach.
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