Greek Cypriots ‘reject’ proposal for bicommunal children’s football match

The Greek Cypriot side rejected a proposal for a bicommunal children’s football match to be played, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said.

“Our proposal for a match between two under-14 football teams from northern and southern Cyprus was rejected. The reason given was that the teams from southern Cyprus are members of international federations, and that such a match would cause problems with those federations,” he told television channel Kanal Sim.

However, he expressed doubt regarding the veracity of that position, saying that “all the federations are aware of the problem on the island of Cyprus”.

“I do not think any federation would create a problem so long as both sides here agree. I had proposed this so that our under-14 children could come together and play sports,” he said.

During the same appearance, he also said that he has thus far received no formal proposal to restart the bicommunal Imagine education programme, which was curtailed by his predecessor Ersin Tatar.

“Nikos Christodoulides has not brought this issue to the table in any way. We are carrying out our own work. I have no prejudice regarding this project, but it should be known that no such proposal has come from Christodoulides’ side,” he said.

The education ministry had announced last month that the programme would recommence this month, while both Nicosia mayors, Mehmet Harmanci and Charalambos Prountzos, have expressed their support for the programme.

“If we are to achieve peace on this island, if we are to achieve reconciliation and solidarity towards each other, then we need to actually know each other. First, we need to imagine this. Both of us are supporting it,” Harmanci said at an event held to call for the programme’s revival last week.

Erhurman also spoke on the matter of crossing points, saying that work being carried out to widen the Ayios Dhometios crossing point, which is located in the west of Nicosia, “will be completed by the end of this month”, and that “this will bring significant relief”.

He made reference to agreements struck at last month’s trilateral meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides and United Nations envoy Maria Angela Holguin regarding an increase of staff at the Ayios Dhometios crossing points and the installation of points at which insurance and MOT certificates for Turkish Cypriot vehicles will be able to be obtained at both the Astromeritis and Dherynia crossing points.

“When these things happen, there will be meaningful relief, but this alone is not the solution. The real solution is to build a second vehicular crossing point in Nicosia,” he said.

To this end, he said that at present, “we are working on a map which targets four crossing points, starting from Mia Milia and extending through Athienou to Louroujina”.

“Opening a new crossing point is not economically beneficial for the Turkish Cypriots, but that does not concern me at all. What concerns me is that our people do not suffer hardship at the crossing points,” he said.