?n the issues of Pyla, Deryneia, the buffer zone in the area of Agios Dometios, Strovilia and Maria’s House, no clear record of events is achieved in the UN Secretary General’s reports on his Good Offices Mission and the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), and a long-standing trend of keeping equal distances is being followed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.
At the same time, the Ministry welcomed in a press release the reaffirmation of the Secretary-General’s commitment to the efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem, guided by the relevant Security Council resolutions, which also set the relevant parameters of the United Nations.
The Foreign Ministry also pointed out that references to humanitarian issues remain subdued.
The press release by the Ministry said that the Secretary-General’s commitment for resuming a meaningful negotiation process leading to a mutually acceptable solution within the United Nations framework is reflected in the recent appointment of Maria Angela Holguin
Cuellar as his Personal Envoy.
“The government of Cyprus reiterates its commitment to support Ms Holguin Cuellar’s mission, looking forward to a fast lifting of the deadlock and the resumption of the negotiation process”, the MFA said.
Regarding the report on UNFICYP, the MFA noted the Secretary-General’s expressed concern about developments in the fenced off area of Varosha, for which Turkey is responsible. The MFA also noted the SG’s reassurance that the United Nations maintains its position on the issue of the Varosha, reiterating its call for full compliance with the relevant Security Council resolutions and a return to the status quo ante.
Regarding the situation in the buffer zone, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared the concern expressed by the Secretary-General regarding the repeated violations by the Turkish occupation forces, which appear to be part of a systematic policy of challenging the ceasefire line and the status of the buffer zone.
In particular, the reports recorded a number of viola
tions in Pyla, the Deryneia area and the wider Nicosia area, with particular reference to the buffer zone in the Ayios Dometios area and Maria’s House. Unfortunately, in all cases – including the case of the ongoing violation in Strovilia – a clear record of events is not achieved, following a long-standing trend of keeping equal distances the MFA said.
The Foreign Ministry stressed also that “references to humanitarian issues, such as the living conditions of the enclaved and the need for Turkey’s cooperation in determining the fate of the missing persons, unfortunately remain subdued”.
Finally, the Foreign Ministry assured that it will continue to cooperate constructively with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, for the effective implementation of its mandate and with the ultimate goal of achieving a comprehensive and just solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its north
ern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. UN
Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed recently María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.
Last August, Turkish Cypriots punched and kicked a group of international peacekeepers who obstructed crews illegally working on a road that would encroach on a UN controlled buffer zone in the area of Pyla, in the Larnaca district.
The international community, including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, condemned August’s attack. Later on, an understanding was reached which provides that a single urban development area would be created. Works, that begun based on this understanding, were temporarily halted to resolve complaints by some Turkish Cypriot land
owners, who believe that their plots are affected.
Further violations occurred in December 2023, when Turkish occupation forces entered the buffer zone in the area of Agios Dometios, and installed on an uninhabited residence there a metal mast, on which a rotating camera and antenna were mounted.
Source: Cyprus News Agency
WASHINGTON: Turkish Air Forces “for the first time” carried out an arms control mission in the airspace of a NATO country.
Trkiye sent four F-16 fighter jets and 71 personnel in early December to the Borcea Airbase in Romania for NATO’s enhanced air policing mission that will run through March 31.
Trkiye’s E-7T Airborne Early Warning and Control platforms, which have been conducting missions in NATO airspace since 2016, and four F16s, gathered in Romanian airspace to carry out the mission.
“With the mission flight of our aircraft within the scope of NATO Assurance Measures, an arms control mission was carried out for the first time with our completely national elements in the airspace of a NATO country,” said the Turkish National Defense Ministry.
Air policing is a peacetime mission to preserve the security of the alliance’s airspace. It is a collective task and involves the continuous presence of fighter aircraft and crews, which are ready to react quickly to possible airspace violations, according to NA
TO.
As a part of the broad set of assurance measures introduced following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, allies are providing additional assets to enhance air policing along NATO’s eastern borders, it added.
Source: Anadolu Agency