TURKISH Cypriot shopkeepers north of the Greek Line in central Nicosia say they are delighted at the prospect of a new checkpoint opening at the northern end of Ledra Street.
“It will be just like old times,” says Meyrem Ozyesir, who remembers how things were before the crossing was walled off in 1974.
Although the barrier has existed in some shape or form since 1958, it was in 1963 that it became known as the Green Line, becoming the forerunner of the dividing line that now runs the length of the island.
“Before 1963 it was fantastic here. This market was bustling with traders, both Greek and Turkish Cypriot”. She points to one area of the market where she has worked almost all her life selling wickerwork items.
“Over there were butchers from both communities working together. Nobody cared whether you were Greek or Turkish; if you sold what people wanted, they would come to you,” Ozyesir explains.
Most traders in the Selemiye district of north Nicosia agree that things have not been so good since the 1974, and it is easy to see why. Most buildings look as if they have seen better days, as do many of the shops. Until very recently in fact Turkish Cypriots tended to avoid the area, preferring to shop in the parts of the city they inhabited. The walled city became the domain of the settlers from mainland Turkey.
But things have begun to change since the first hole appeared in the Green Line at the Ledra Palace checkpoint just outside the ancient city walls.
Clothing seller Salih Doktoroglu says he has already experienced a 30 to 40 per cent increase in sales over the last two years.
“Cypriots are beginning to come here again, but when the Lokmaci [Ledra Street] crossing opens we expect even greater numbers, because at the moment people have to walk three or four kilometres to get here from the Greek side. Now they will find us at the end of their road,” he says.
That the opening of the Ledra Street crossing will bring benefits appears to be a unanimously held view among traders in the north. The idea that competition from Greek Cypriot traders might affect business negatively is non-existent.
Septuagenarian Suleyman Yuncu says he recently visited fellow wool traders on the Greek Cypriot side of the Green Line “for old time’s sake”.
“I found one trader sitting outside her shop. I asked her why she wasn’t inside dealing with customers, and she told me she no longer had any customers; she said they had all gone to buy their wool on the Turkish side”.
Yuncu believes this might eventually lead to Greek Cypriot traders in the textiles industry moving to the north to work and benefit from lower rents and cheaper supplies.
Whether or not such things will happen remains to be seen, but what seems certain is that all sectors of the local economy are set to benefit. One caf? owner located just metres from the proposed crossing says he “cannot wait” for the Ledra Street crossing to open to open.
“This is going to be very good for us. Tourists will be pouring in, as will local Greek Cypriots. And we will be the first people they will see”.
A jeweller merely twenty metres into the Turkish Cypriot sector agrees.
“Walls of all kind are negative, so getting rid of this one will be positive. And it’s not just about money; it’s about getting used to living and working together. This, I believe will take us a step closer to an overall solution to the Cyprus problem”.
He does not deny however that he is looking forward to reaping the economic benefits of what he sees as “integration with Europe”.
“I’m planning on putting up new signs in Greek and English,” he says, but quickly adds: “Our prices will not rise, though. We don’t want to kill the price advantage we have”.
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