Türkiye condemns UN peacekeeping force's Intervention in Cyprus road construction

The Ministry said that it "finds unacceptable and strongly condemns the physical intervention yesterday (18 August) by soldiers of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in the sovereign territory of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) with the aim of preventing the construction of the Pile-Yiğitler road."

The Ministry said that the UN's stance on the Pile-Yiğitler road, which is a humanitarian project aiming to facilitate the direct access of TRNC citizens in the village of Pile to their own homeland, "is incompatible with the impartial attitude that the Peacekeeping Force is obliged to display on the Island."

The Ministry also said that UNFICYP "played a major role in the escalation of tension in the context of the road construction project which started peacefully," and that it "presented itself on the other hand as a victim in the events on the ground."

The Ministry concluded by calling on the UN and UNFICYP to "refrain from actions and rhetoric that would overshadow the mission it has been carrying out in Cyprus for nearly 60 years, to accord equal treatment to the two sides in Cyprus and to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the TRNC."

The press release was issued in response to the events of August 18, when UNFICYP soldiers intervened in the construction of the Pile-Yiğitler road in the TRNC. The soldiers reportedly used tear gas and water cannons to disperse Turkish Cypriot workers who were building the road. The intervention led to clashes between Turkish Cypriots and UNFICYP soldiers, and several people were injured.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry's press release is the latest in a series of tensions between Turkey and the UN over the issue of Cyprus. Turkey is the guarantor power of the TRNC, and it has long criticized the UN for its failure to resolve the Cyprus conflict. The Turkish government has also accused the UN of bias towards the Greek Cypriot side.

The UNFICYP intervention in the construction of the Pile-Yiğitler road is likely to further strain relations between Turkey and the UN. The Turkish government is likely to demand an explanation from the UN for the intervention, and it may also take further steps to pressure the UN to change its stance on Cyprus. (ILKHA)