Cyprus protests Turkish violations to UN

Cyprus has protested to the UN new violations of its airspace and Nicosia FIR (Flight Information Region) by Turkish fighter jets.

According to an official press release, a letter dated 1 August 2008 was sent by Charge d' affaires of the Permanent Mission of Cyprus to the UN, Louis Telemachou to the Secretary – General and the President of the Security Council.

The letter drew attention to the violations of the national airspace of Cyprus and Nicosia FIR by military aircraft of the Turkish Air Force recorded from 2 June to 29 July 2008.

In his letter, Telemachou strongly protested the violations and appealed “for their immediate cessation”, noting that ''the non – observance by Turkey of rules and regulations governing air traffic constitutes a serious threat to the safety of air flights in the region and a breach of its international obligations''.

''At the same time, its attempt to upgrade, contrary to Security Council resolutions, an illegal secessionist entity in the occupied part of the Republic of Cyprus, to the detriment of a sovereign country, member of the United Nations and the European Union, constitutes a blatant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions, with serious ramifications for the peace and stability of the region.''

The Cypriot diplomat stressed that Turkey instead of promoting a policy of separation and undermining Cyprus, ''it should finally heed international law and respect without any preconditions the independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, in accordance with UN resolutions thus contributing to the maintenance of stability and prosperity in the region.''

The letter was circulated as a UN document yesterday, August 11 2008.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied the island’s northern third. Turkey has refused to implement numerous UN resolutions calling for the immediate withdrawal of its occupation troops from Cyprus.