Бывший лидер ДИСИ предупредил, что закрытие переходов на Кипре может усилить позиции Турции

Former Disy leader Averof Neophytou has denounced calls to close the crossing points, cautioning on Wednesday that such a move could create new political problems for the Republic and hand Turkey an argument to revive the issue of direct trade with the north. Neophytou said closing the checkpoints from the government-controlled areas could allow the Turkish side to argue in Brussels that the Republic was restricting movement across the Green Line, potentially reopening a debate that Nicosia has previously sought to prevent. Neophytou recalled that former president Glafcos Clerides feared that easier movement between the two sides could make the division more tolerable and reduce pressure for a settlement. However, following the rejection of the Annan plan by the Greek Cypriots in 2004, Brussels moved to support Turkish Cypriots economically and proposed allowing direct trade with the north. Neophytou said the proposal was successfully opposed by the Republic, with former president Tassos Papadopoulos playing “a key role” in preventing direct trade arrangements that Nicosia considered “politically and legally problematic”. Closing the crossing points today he said could reverse that upper hand by allowing Turkey and the north to claim that the Republic itself is restricting movement across the Green Line, reviving the direct trade issue in Brussels. He warned those advocating closures their intentions did not determine the consequences of such a decision. “Sometimes even genuine patriotism and selfless motives like yours inadvertently lead to national misadventures,” he said. Neophytou has also criticised the government for failing to make progress on opening new crossing points. Earlier this month, he urged President Nikos Christodoulides to overcome what he called the obstacle of a roadblock “to open the way for a solution”. The issue remains unresolved, with discussions over four proposed crossing points continuing to face an impasse. Neophytou has previously described proposals to close existing crossings as a “strategic mistake”, arguing that they could strengthen those advocating a two-state settlement.