11/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - EU gives Turkish Cypriot community €32 million. On Friday 11 December, the European Commission gave the go-ahead to financial aid of €32 million for the Turkish Cypriot community as part of a series of aid instalments granted since 2006 under Regulation 389/2006 on the creation of a financial aid instrument to encourage economic development in the Turkish Cypriot community. The EU has injected more than €400 million there since 2006. The programme aims to bring the Greek and Turkish communities on the island closer together. The programme focuses on cultural heritage and, for the first time, on rehabilitation of the buffer zone in Nicosia's old town. The situation is auspicious as the two communities started moving in each other's direction with the election of Mustafa Akinci in the Turkish section in early 2015 (see EUROPE 11305). (PH)