Akinci will write to UN chief about closure of crossings

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said on Wednesday he would send a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over the decision of the Greek Cypriot side to temporarily close four checkpoints to the north last Saturday.

After meeting with Unficyp head Elizabeth Spehar, Akinci said he expressed his concern to her over the decision, and he would contact the EU as well as the UN.

However, Akinci said on Wednesday the issue has been discussed at three meetings of the bicommunal committee of health, who have concluded the checkpoint closure was unwarranted, as there were no cases on Covid-19 in either the north of south of Cyprus.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.