The United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) reported an incident in the buffer zone at Pyla. It occurred at a time when peacekeepers blocked unauthorized construction work in the area.
“The UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus condemns the attacks on UN peacekeepers and the damage to UN vehicles by Turkish Cypriot personnel. Threats to the safety of peacekeepers and damage to UN property are unacceptable and, according to international law, constitute a serious crime that will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” the organization said in a statement.
In this regard, UNFICYP calls on the Turkish Cypriot side to “respect the mission’s mandate in the UN buffer zone, refrain from any action that could lead to a further escalation of tension, and immediately withdraw all personnel and equipment from the UN buffer zone.”
A 180 km buffer zone (green line) separates the island between the Greek and Turkish communities and is controlled by the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. Control is carried out under special conditions, since the green line is not considered an external border of the European Union.
Cyprus has been divided along national lines since Turkey’s armed invasion in 1974, provoked by a coup d’état by supporters of the annexation of the island to Greece. As a result of hostilities, approximately 37% of the territory of Cyprus turned out to be under Turkish control, on which the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was formed in 1983, recognized in the world community only by Ankara. The southern part of the island remained under the control of the Republic of Cyprus, populated mainly by Greek Cypriots. Multiple attempts by the parties to resolve the problem have not yet led to a result.
