Some political parties from North Cyprus and South Cyprus have called on the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders to resolve their differences over the new crossing gates.

The call to the leaders came in a joint statement issued at the end of a meeting of some Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot political parties that met at the Ledra Palace hotel.

The routine meeting of some Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot political parties participating in the bi-communal dialogue promotion meetings organized under the auspices of the Embassy of Slovakia took place at the Ledra Palace Hotel in the buffer zone.

According to a statement issued by the Embassy of Slovakia, the joint statement issued at the end of the meeting said: “The party representatives encourage both leaders to overcome the current challenges in line with the recommendation of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to open new crossing points to help improve the bond, relationship and trust between the two communities.”

They also expressed support for the United Nations-led initiative to resume talks after a 7-year stagnation.

Participants also expressed “concern” about the meeting between the leaders on January 20.

It was noted that the focus should be on the core elements of the Cyprus problem and that the search for a solution should be based on a framework agreement and agreed issues, as stated in the 2017 Guterres framework.

It was also noted that the status quo is unacceptable and must be ended.

The statement also noted that Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots have the right to live in a normal EU member state and enjoy the same values as the people of EU member states.

The next meeting will be hosted by the Democratic Party on February 26.