Türkiye slams 'unacceptable' UN approach to Cyprus row
Published: 03:08 PM,Aug 19,2023 | EDITED : 07:08 PM,Aug 19,2023
ISTANBUL: Türkiye's ruling party spokesman on Saturday criticised UN peacekeepers for blocking the construction of a controversial road in the buffer zone dividing Cyprus, calling their attitude 'unacceptable' and 'extremely wrong'.
A confrontation occurred on Friday between Turkish Cypriot forces and UN peacekeepers in Pyla, an ethnically mixed village in the UN-patrolled area between the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus in the south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot statelet in the north.
The UN mission said its peacekeepers were assaulted as they tried to block the 'unauthorised construction work' near Pyla, the only village where Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots live side by side.
'The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in cyprus condemns the assaults against UN peacekeepers and damage to UN vehicles by personnel from the Turkish Cypriot side this morning,' UNFICYP said.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN chief 'stresses that threats to the safety of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN property are unacceptable and may constitute serious crimes under international law,' said Stephane Dujarric.
European Union member cyprus denounced what it called 'organised incidents caused by the Turkish occupying forces... and the unacceptable attack against British and Slovak members of the UN peacekeeping force'.
The EU also condemned the incident, as well as Britain, France and the United States, who in a joint statement expressed 'serious concern at the launch of unauthorised construction' of the road.
Omer Celik, spokesman for Türkiye's ruling AKP party, defended the construction of the road and slammed the 'unacceptable' attitude of the UN peacekeepers.
'The attitude of the UN peacekeeping force serving in Cyprus ... was unacceptable and extremely wrong,' Celik wrote on Twitter, now rebranded as X.
He said that attitude 'aimed at pleasing the Greek Cypriot side has damaged the reputation' of the UN mission in Cyprus.
The authorities in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is recognised only by Türkiye, had dismissed the UN mission's allegations as 'baseless'.
They said the project had a 'humanitarian objective' that was 'aimed at providing ease of access to TRNC territory for our citizens' living in the village.
Celik said on Saturday that Türkiye 'fully supports' the TRNC, and called on the UN mission to treat the Turkish Cypriots equally.
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, a protege of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has urged the international community to 'acknowledge the existence' of two states in Cyprus. — AFP
A confrontation occurred on Friday between Turkish Cypriot forces and UN peacekeepers in Pyla, an ethnically mixed village in the UN-patrolled area between the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus in the south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot statelet in the north.
The UN mission said its peacekeepers were assaulted as they tried to block the 'unauthorised construction work' near Pyla, the only village where Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots live side by side.
'The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in cyprus condemns the assaults against UN peacekeepers and damage to UN vehicles by personnel from the Turkish Cypriot side this morning,' UNFICYP said.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN chief 'stresses that threats to the safety of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN property are unacceptable and may constitute serious crimes under international law,' said Stephane Dujarric.
European Union member cyprus denounced what it called 'organised incidents caused by the Turkish occupying forces... and the unacceptable attack against British and Slovak members of the UN peacekeeping force'.
The EU also condemned the incident, as well as Britain, France and the United States, who in a joint statement expressed 'serious concern at the launch of unauthorised construction' of the road.
Omer Celik, spokesman for Türkiye's ruling AKP party, defended the construction of the road and slammed the 'unacceptable' attitude of the UN peacekeepers.
'The attitude of the UN peacekeeping force serving in Cyprus ... was unacceptable and extremely wrong,' Celik wrote on Twitter, now rebranded as X.
He said that attitude 'aimed at pleasing the Greek Cypriot side has damaged the reputation' of the UN mission in Cyprus.
The authorities in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is recognised only by Türkiye, had dismissed the UN mission's allegations as 'baseless'.
They said the project had a 'humanitarian objective' that was 'aimed at providing ease of access to TRNC territory for our citizens' living in the village.
Celik said on Saturday that Türkiye 'fully supports' the TRNC, and called on the UN mission to treat the Turkish Cypriots equally.
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, a protege of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has urged the international community to 'acknowledge the existence' of two states in Cyprus. — AFP