The government condemns the serious violations by the occupation regime in the UN-controlled buffer zone in the Pyla area, said Director of the President's Press Office Victoras Papadopoulos on Tuesday.
Speaking to CNA, he said the government is in constant communication with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and is making all necessary representations both in Cyprus and New York, to prevent further manoeuvres by the occupying forces.
His comments come after UNFICYP issued an announcement on Monday regarding the “unauthorized entry of Turkish Cypriot security personnel” into the buffer zone.
Asked whether these actions affect efforts to resume the dialogue on the Cyprus issue, Papadopoulos said they certainly undermine those efforts, adding that the issue will be raised during the next meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman later this month.
Papadopoulos expressed the government’s “deep concern and disappointment” regarding "the escalating stance of the occupation forces within the buffer zone at a critical geopolitical juncture”. He added that these actions are “in violation of Security Council resolutions, increase tensions, and undermine the efforts of the UN Secretary-General to resume talks, as well as efforts to build trust and create conditions for the resumption of negotiations."
UNFICYP reinforces presence in Pyla
Meanwhile, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, said in New York on Monday that UNFICYP has reinforced its presence in the Pyla plateau area.
UNFICYP “reiterates that any unauthorized entry, presence or activity within the buffer zone constitutes a violation of the Mission’s mandate”, he said, adding that “respect for the Mission’s mandate is essential to maintaining stability in this very sensitive area”.
According to the UN Spokesperson, the peacekeeping mission is “actively engaging with all relevant parties” with a view to “restoring the status quo ante” and preventing actions that could negatively affect conditions on the ground.
He stressed that “maintaining calm and stability across the buffer zone remains the peacekeepers’ highest priority”.
UNFICYP comprises over 800 military personnel from about seven troop contributing countries. It first arrived in Cyprus in March 1964 after intercommunal fighting broke out. The mandate of the force is renewed every year by the Security Council. UNFICYP’s mandate is to contribute to the restoration of normal conditions and entails the facilitation of an increasingly wide range of civilian activities.
Turkish Cypriot response: ‘Area in question not buffer zone’
The so-called ‘foreign ministry’ of the regime in northern Cyprus has claimed that the area referred to in a recent UNFICYP statement “is not in the buffer zone but lies entirely within the territory and sovereignty” of the self-declared breakaway entity. The ‘ministry’ described the peacekeeping force’s remarks as “unacceptable”, arguing that it has targeted the Turkish Cypriot side with “unfounded accusations”.
At the same time, it condemned the UN position regarding an alleged attack against Turkish Cypriots, which it said took place on the anniversary of the start of the EOKA armed struggle. It argued that the statement avoided explicitly identifying the perpetrators and adopted “categorical and biased language” towards the Turkish Cypriot side.
Source: CNA