Unauthorised construction inside the UN buffer zone is strictly prohibited, UNFICYP spokesperson, Aleem Siddique, told CNA on Tuesday, as regards the situation in the buffer zone in the Agios Dometios area in Nicosia.
Unauthorised construction inside UN buffer zone in Cyprus “strictly prohibited”
Asked by CNA about the situation in the area after the 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, Siddique said that “unauthorised construction inside the UN buffer zone is strictly prohibited.”
He added that, while the situation on the ground remained calm this morning UNFICYP was engaging with the Turkish Cypriot side “to prevent further tensions and ensure the status quo is maintained.”
UN Peacekeepers are continuing to monitor the area closely, he said.
Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis, confirmed yesterday that, on Monday afternoon, a number of soldiers of the Turkish occupying forces entered the buffer zone in the area of Agios Dometios, while a small group of them installed on an uninhabited residence, known as “Maria’s House”, a metal mast on which a rotating camera and antenna were mounted. He described this latest action of the Turkish occupying forces, as a “serious ongoing violation of the buffer zone.”
This follows another incident last August, when Turkish Cypriots punched and kicked a group of international peacekeepers who obstructed crews illegally working on a road that would encroach on a U.N. controlled buffer zone in the area of Pyla, in the Larnaca district.
The international community, including five permanent members of the UN Security Council, condemned the attack. Later on, an understanding was reached which provides that a single urban development area would be created, which would ensure the harmonious coexistence of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in the area of Pyla. Works, that begun based on this understanding, were temporarily halted earlier this month to resolve complaints by some Turkish Cypriot land owners, who believe that their plots are affected.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern 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.
