We the undersigned welcome the announcement by the UN on Wednesday that all crossing points will be reopened on Friday 4 June, more than 15 months after they were unilaterally closed. The closure split families, friends and loved ones and risked cementing the division of our country permanently.

It is a step in the right direction to fulfil UN Security Council Resolution 2561/2021 of January 2021, which “Calls upon the sides to reduce existing barriers to intercommunal contact”. It should not be mistaken for a solution of the Cyprus problem.

Our primary goal is a united Cyprus for everyone. To celebrate the removal of one new barrier that had separated us and to express our demand to further remove the economic barriers for crossing and foster intercommunal contact, join us on Friday 04 June, at 18:30 for a musical symbolic celebration of this development. We will walk from Eleftherias Square to Büyük Han.

The agreement “on synchronizing the two sides’ respective COVID-19 measures concerning crossing points” is in keeping with what we have advocated, namely a joint and coordinated effort to tackle the virus. We would like to thank the UN, all our fellow civil society actors, other concerned Cypriots and the international community for their efforts.

We demand tangible cooperation to honour this agreement, including taking measures to make rapid tests (antigen tests) available free of charge on both sides and to implement mutual recognition of vaccines.

Intercommunal contact affects all residents of the island, whether they cross or not. It has been demonstrated by numerous studies (such as Yücel and Psaltis 2019) that intercommunal contact in Cyprus improves mutual trust.

Intercommunal contact is therefore important both for the internal security of our island and for laying the foundations of sustainable peace.

As the people of Cyprus we demand that UN Security Council Resolution 2561/2021 that calls for “direct support and encouragement to civil society organisations to enhance inter-communal contact and trust-building” is properly implemented and that crossings are never closed again for any reason.

The long-term peace and security of our country depends on it.

Signed by:

• Action Network for the Housing and City-Solidarity for All
• Avli
• Bi-communal peace Initiative-United Cyprus (see list of 76 organisations on next pages)
• Charis Psaltis
• Enfield Cypriots Association
• Famagusta Ecocity Project
• Hade
• Kıbrıs Havaları Derneği/Σύνδεσμος Κυπριακού Τραγουδίου/Cyprus Songs Association
• KISA
• Paphos Gate Gathering
• UniteCyprusNow

List of organizations under the Bi-communal Peace Initiative - United Cyprus

1. Cyprus Turkish Teachers Trade Union - KTÖS
2. Cyprus Turkish Secondary Teachers Trade Union - KTOEÖS
3. Customs Workers Trade Union - GÜÇ-SEN
4. EMU Unity and Solidarity Trade Union - DAÜ-BİR-SEN
5. Turkish Cypriot Civil Servants Trade Union - KTAMS
6. State Workers Trade Union - ÇAĞ-SEN
7. Cyprus Writer's Union
8. Cyprus Publisher’s Association - KYa B
9. Revolutionary Workers Union Federation Dev- İŞ
10. Movement for a Federal Cyprus
11. Proodeftiki Primary School Teachers movement
12. Proodeftiki Secondary School Teachers movement
13. United Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot Teachers Platform
14. İskele Citizens Initiative
15. Municipal Workers Trade Union - BES
16. Socialist İnitiative
17. United Democrats Youth organization
18. Bi-communal Initiative of Relatives of Missing Persons and Victims of 1963-74 events - Together We Can
19. Epilogi Limassol cultural movement
20. Symfiliosi / Uzlaşma / Reconciliation
21. Peace Association
22. New Cyprus Association
23. Left Wing
24. Association of Turkish Cypriot Artists and Authors
25. Bi-communal Choir For Peace in Cyprus
26. Cyprus Turkish Physicians Trade Union - TIP-İŞ
27. Publishers Trade Union - BASIN-SEN
28. BARAKA Cultural Group
29. Cooperative Workers Trade Union - KOOP-SEN
30. Turkish Cypriot Association for Democracy (London)
31. Cypriot Science Education Health and Solidarity Association - KIBES
32. Cyprus Youth Platform
33. Limassol Civil İnitiative ‘Solution-Reunification-Peace”
34. Cyprus Reunification Movement
35. German-Cypriot Forum
36. Workers Democracy
37. NGO Support Centre
38. IKME Sociopolitical Studies Institute
39. Hands across the Divide
40. Association of Historical Dialogue and Research
41. United Cyprus Platform of the Overseas Cypriot Organizations
42. Stop the War Coalition
43. Kontea Heritage Foundation
44. GAT - Gender Advisory Team
45. Cyprus Academic Dialogue
46. Turkish Cypriot Businessmen Association
47. Famagusta Our Town
48. Cyprus Sustainability Institute
49. Famagusta Initiative
50. KISA – Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism
51. Bicommunal Kyrenia Initiative
52. INVEST IN EDUCATION
53. Enorasis sociocultural club
54. Post Research Institute
55. HASDER
56. HAZINE-SEN
57. Eastern Mediterranean University Union of Academic Staff- DAU-SEN
58. Cyprus Song Association - KIBHAD
59. The Management Centre of the Mediterranean
60. Cyprus Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association
61. Feminist ATÖLYE
62. Cyprus Turkish Building Contractor's Association
63. MAGEM
64. Dayanışma - Solidarity
65. KLIIR
66. Cyprus Association of Social Psychology
67. OPEK - Association for Social Reform
68. Larnaca for Solution - Reunification Movement
69. UniteCyprusNow
70. New Cyprus Party YKP
71. United Cyprus Party BKP
72. Cypriots' Voice
73. Sol Hareket
74. Association of Cypriot Refugees in Greece – Cyprus ‘74
75. People's Peace Platform for Unıted Cyprus (London)
76. Anatropi

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Το άνοιγμα των οδοφραγμάτων θα πρέπει να ακολουθηθεί από ενέργειες ανοικοδόμησης εμπιστοσύνης.

Οι υπογράφοντες καλωσορίζουμε την ανακοίνωση ΗΕ της Τετάρτης που αναφέρει πως όλα τα σημεία διέλευσης θα ανοίξουν ξανά την Παρασκευή 4 Ιουνίου, πάνω από 15 μήνες μετά το μονομερές κλείσιμο τους. Το κλείσιμο χώρισε οικογένειες, φίλους, αγαπημένα πρόσωπα, και κόντεψε να καταστήσει μόνιμη τη διαίρεση της χώρας μας.

Είναι ένα βήμα προς την κατεύθυνση υλοποίησης του ψηφίσματος 2561/2021 του Συμβουλίου Ασφαλείας ΟΗΕ Ιανουαρίου 2021 που «καλεί τις πλευρές να μειώσουν τα υφιστάμενα εμπόδια στις διακοινοτικές επαφές». Δεν αποτελεί βέβαια υποκατάστατο συνολικής λύσης του Κυπριακού.

Κύριος μας στόχος είναι η ενωμένη Κύπρος για όλους. Για να γιορτάσουμε την απομάκρυνση ενός επιπρόσθετου εμποδίου που μας είχε χωρίσει και να εκφράσουμε την απαίτηση για περαιτέρω άρση των οικονομικών εμποδίων στη διέλευση και την προώθηση διακοινοτικών επαφών, ελάτε μαζί μας την Παρασκευή 4 Ιουνίου στις 18:30 για ένα συμβολικό, μουσικό εορτασμό της εξέλιξης αυτής. Θα περπατήσουμε από την πλατεία Ελευθερίας μέχρι το Büyük Han.

Η συμφωνία «για το συγχρονισμό των αντίστοιχων μέτρων COVID-19 των δύο πλευρών σχετικά με τα σημεία διέλευσης» συνάδει με αυτό που είχαμε υποστηρίξει, δηλαδή την κοινή και συντονισμένη προσπάθεια αντιμετώπισης του ιού. Θα θέλαμε να ευχαριστήσουμε τα ΗΕ, όλους τους συναγωνιστές από την κοινωνία των πολιτών, άλλους ανήσυχους Κύπριους, καθώς και τη διεθνή κοινότητα για τις προσπάθειες τους.

Απαιτούμε γνήσια συνεργασία που θα εφαρμόζει στην πράξη αυτή τη συμφωνία, και που θα περιλαμβάνει τη διάθεση δωρεάν τεστ ταχείας ανίχνευσης αντιγόνου (antigen rapid test) και στις δύο πλευρές και την αμοιβαία αναγνώριση εμβολίων.

Η διακοινοτική επαφή επηρεάζει όλους τους κατοίκους του νησιού, είτε περνούν από τα σημεία διέλευσης είτε όχι. Έχει αποδειχθεί από πολλές μελέτες (όπως των Yücel και Psaltis του 2019) πως η διακοινοτική επαφή στην Κύπρο ενισχύει την αμοιβαία εμπιστοσύνη.

Άρα λοιπόν η διακοινοτική επαφή είναι σημαντική τόσο για την εσωτερική ασφάλεια του νησιού μας όσο και για τη θεμελίωση μιας ειρήνης που θα είναι βιώσιμη.

Ως Κυπριακός λαός απαιτούμε πλήρη και ορθή εφαρμογή του ψηφίσματος 2561/2021 του Συμβουλίου Ασφαλείας των ΗΕ που καλεί σε «άμεση υποστήριξη και ενθάρρυνση των οργανώσεων της κοινωνίας των πολιτών ώστε να ενισχύσουν τη διακοινοτική επαφή και την οικοδόμηση εμπιστοσύνης» και πως τα σημεία διέλευσης δεν θα κλείσουν ποτέ ξανά όποιος και να είναι ο λόγος.

Η μακροπρόθεσμη ειρήνη και ασφάλεια της χώρας μας εξαρτάται από αυτό.

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Geçişlerin yeniden açılmasını, güveni yeniden inşa etmeye yönelik icraatlar takip etmelidir.

Aşağıda imzası bulunanlar olarak, BM'nin Çarşamba günü yaptığı açıklamada, tüm geçiş noktalarının tek taraflı olarak kapatıldıktan 15 ay sonra 4 Haziran Cuma günü yeniden açılacağını duyurmasını memnuniyetle karşılıyoruz. Kapatma aileleri, arkadaşları ve sevenleri bölmüş ve ülkemizin bölünmesini kalıcı olarak güçlendirme riskini oluşturmuştur.

“Tarafları toplumlar arası temasın önündeki mevcut engelleri azaltmaya çağıran” Ocak 2021 tarihli BM Güvenlik Konseyi'nin 2561/22021 sayılı Kararını yerine getirmek doğru yönde atılmış bir adımdır. Kıbrıs sorununun çözümü ile karıştırılmamalıdır.

Öncelikli hedefimiz herkes için birleşik bir Kıbrıs'tır. Bizi ayıran bariyerlerden yeni bir tanesinin açılmasını kutlamak, ayrıca geçişlerde ekonomik engellerin daha fazla kaldırılması ve toplumlar arası temasın teşvik edilmesi talebimizi ifade etmek için 04 Haziran Cuma günü saat 18:30'da gerçekleştireceğimiz sembolik müzikal etkinlikte bize katılın. O zamana kadar bizi ayıran her duvarın yıkılışını kutluyor olacağız. Bu gelişmenin sembolik bir müzikal kutlaması için 05 Haziran Cuma günü 18:30'da bize katılın. Eleftherias Meydanı'ndan Büyük Han'a yürüyeceğiz.

"İki tarafın geçiş noktalarına ilişkin ilgili COVID-19 tedbirlerini senkronize etme" konusundaki anlaşmaları, savunduğumuz şeyle, yani virüsle mücadele için ortak ve koordineli bir çabayla uyumludur. BM'ye, tüm sivil toplum aktörlerimize, diğer ilgili Kıbrıslılara ve uluslararası topluma çabalarından dolayı teşekkür ederiz.

Hızlı testleri (antijen testleri) her iki tarafta ücretsiz olarak kullanıma sunmak ve aşıların karşılıklı olarak tanınmasını sağlamak için önlemler almak da dahil olmak üzere, bu anlaşmayı taçlandırmak için somut işbirliği yapılması talebinde bulunuyoruz.

Toplumlar arası temas, adanın tüm sakinlerini, geçiş yapsalar da yapmasalar da etkilemektedir. Kıbrıs'ta toplumlar arası temasın karşılıklı güveni geliştirdiği çok sayıda çalışmayla (Yücel ve Psaltis 2019 çalışması gibi) ortaya konmuştur.

Bu nedenle toplumlar arası temas hem adamızın iç güvenliği hem de sürdürülebilir barışın temellerinin atılması için önemlidir.

Kıbrıs toplumu olarak “toplumlar arası teması ve güven inşasını geliştirmek için sivil toplum kuruluşlarına doğrudan destek verilmesi ve teşvik edilmesi” konusundaki BM Güvenlik Konseyi'nin 2561/22021 sayılı kararının tam anlamıyla yerine getirilmesi talebinde bulunuyoruz.

Ülkemizde uzun vadeli barış ve güvenlik buna bağlıdır.