President speaks out on Turkish activity near buffer zone

President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides said on Wednesday that all measures are being taken by the Republic of Cyprus so that the sense of security of the residents of the areas adjacent to the buffer zone is not affected in any way by the Turkish provocations.

The President was replying to questions by reporters in Limassol about new Turkish provocations in the area of Deneia, in the Nicosia district, on his arrival to a naming ceremony of Cyprus University of Technology.

Asked about the provocations in Deneia, he said that he spoke with the President of the community and said that the activity of the occupying forces is outside the buffer zone. He added that "we will take all the necessary actions both in the United Nations and in the EU."

"We see this increased tendency on the part of the Turkish occupying forces, that is why I also communicated with the UN Secretary General. What I conveyed to the President of the community is that all measures are being taken by the Republic of Cyprus so that the feeling of security of the residents of the areas adjacent to the buffer zone is not affected. It is something we are constantly monitoring."

Asked to clarify whether in his letter to the UN Secretary-General he had also included this provocation, he said "no, this provocation came later" adding that such movements are often made in Deneia within the buffer zone.

He reiterated that this particular provocation is done outside the buffer zone but it is "condemnable because it affects the situation in general."

Asked if he was in contact with the UN, he said that he had spoken with both the United Nations and the EU but also with third countries "that can help us deal with this situation."

Asked what we can expect from the arrival of the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Cyprus, given the Turkish provocations, he said that such actions do not help in the direction of the resumption of talks but noted that at the same time, they prove that the current status quo, "which is unacceptable, is not static. New unacceptable faits accomplis are constantly being created that make the prospect of resolving the Cyprus problem more distant."

"I know the difficulties, the challenges, I completely understand them, but at the same time the only solution to all these problems that arise for 50 years now due to the continued occupation, is the solution of the Cyprus issue and it is for this reason that without ignoring the difficulties we welcome the appointment (of the UNSG envoy) we expect her to visit Cyprus as soon as possible to see how the prospects for the resumption of talks are created", he concluded.

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. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Columbia 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.

In a recent report, the UN Secretary General notes the importance of the parties refraining from taking unilateral actions both in and adjacent to the buffer zone that could raise tensions.