The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made representations to the United Nations and foreign missions accredited to Cyprus over the illegal search and rescue exercise carried out by Turkey in the northern Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus, Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou Marcoullis said on Tuesday.
“Last week we made representations to the UN and all diplomatic missions accredited to the Republic of Cyprus but also to certain countries which participated in last year’s exercise,” Marcoullis said responding to a question on this year’s “Lieutenant Caner Gionelli 2012” search and rescue exercise, to be completed on June 14.
She added that additional representations will be made in case new countries or the same countries that participated in last year’s illegal exercise take part in this year’s manoeuvres.
Marcoullis noted that this illegal exercise has taken place in the past eight years with the participation of the Turkish Air Force and the Turkish navy as well as the so-called security forces of the illegal regime, established in northern Turkish occupied Cyprus following the 1974 Turkish invasion.