Politis reporters Stefanos Evripidou and Filip Polo are reporting from the scene.
President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman have agreed to open two new crossing points in Cyprus, alongside a series of confidence-building measures, following a trilateral meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Maria Angela Holguín, in Nicosia.
The meeting concluded shortly after 2pm on Monday, having lasted more than three hours in the buffer zone.
Discussions took place amid warnings from Holguín about the need to make progress on confidence-building measures (CBMs), with proposals from both sides and the prospects of reaching common ground among the main issues on the agenda.
Following the meeting, UN representative Aleem Siddique read out a joint statement without the two leaders alongside him.
According to the statement, the two leaders agreed to open two new crossing points: one connecting Louroujina with Lymbia and another linking Kampi with Karavostasi. Both crossing points are expected to open simultaneously.
Agreement on cultural, environmental and educational initiatives
Beyond the new crossing points, the two sides reached agreement on a number of additional confidence-building measures.
These include the exchange of archival material through the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, as well as the promotion of environmental projects to be implemented by the Technical Committee on the Environment.
The leaders also agreed to revive the Imagine programme, under the auspices and guidance of the Technical Committee on Education.
The programme focuses on promoting a culture of peace and cooperation through education.
Emergency response mechanism to be developed
Another area of agreement concerns crisis management and cooperation in emergency situations.
The Technical Committee on Crisis Management will receive instructions from the two leaders to establish a mechanism for an immediate response to emergency situations.
The initiative is intended to strengthen coordination between the two sides when dealing with urgent incidents.
Meanwhile, the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage will undertake restoration work on specific Maronite churches and an Armenian monastery, alongside its other ongoing activities.
Discussions on additional crossing points to continue
According to the joint statement, the two leaders also discussed the possibility of opening additional crossing points, as well as other related issues that remain unresolved.
However, discussions on these matters are still ongoing, with no further agreement announced at this stage.
Talks on the outstanding issues, as well as on the methodology and substance of the Cyprus problem, are expected to continue in the coming period.
The two leaders are also expected to meet again in a new trilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres in the coming weeks.
