The United Nations has condemned the attack on its peacekeepers on divided Cyprus Friday, saying personnel were assaulted by Turkish Cypriots when blocking a controversial road project.
Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) patrols the buffer zone between the Turkish-occupied north of the island and the Cyprus Republic.
Peacekeepers are blocking the construction of a road that infringes on the UN buffer zone, which could trigger tension between the two sides during attempts to get them back to peace talks.
UNFICYP issued a statement Friday saying it “condemns the assaults against UN peacekeepers and damage to UN vehicles by personnel from the Turkish Cypriot side”.
It said the incident occurred inside the buffer zone near Pyla, outside the southern coastal town of Larnaca, as UN peacekeepers blocked “unauthorised construction work” in the area.
“Threats to the safety of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN property are unacceptable and constitute a serious crime under international law which will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” it said.
According to official sources, Turkish Cypriot police and military in plain clothes punched a peacekeeper and assaulted a dozen others by “pushing them back violently”.
And a tractor was used to drag a UN vehicle out of the way; there was severe damage to three vehicles.
The UN urged the Turkish Cypriot side to “respect the mission’s mandated authority inside the UN buffer zone, refrain from any actions that could escalate tensions further, and withdraw all personnel and machinery from the UN buffer zone immediately”.
UNFICYP said it was determined to block any construction work and would remain in the area.
“The mission is monitoring the situation closely and remains committed to ensuring calm and stability are maintained in the area,” the statement said.
Before Friday’s incident, the UN had warned against unauthorised construction activities inside the buffer zone at Pyla.
“Preventing tensions and maintaining the status quo across the UN buffer zone remains our most important priorities,” UNFICYP said Thursday.
European Union member Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish forces occupied the island’s northern part in response to a military coup sponsored by the junta in power in Greece.
There have been no UN-sponsored peace talks to resolve the island’s division since a Cyprus conference collapsed in Switzerland in July 2017.
Cyprus government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the Turkish side is attempting to create new “faits accomplis” at Pyla by constructing a road connecting the “occupied village of Arsos with a forward illegal military outpost”.
He said it was “an attempt at a very serious violation of the status quo”.
“The Government of Cyprus is working toward thwarting this Turkish design in cooperation with Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, the EU, and UNFICYP, as well as with the Government of Greece.”
Letymbiotis said the “seriousness of the violation” had “negative repercussions for the prospect of the resumption of Cyprus negotiations and EU-Turkish issues”.
He said the government “expects the Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus to prevent the plans in question, based on the provisions of its mandate”.
