Newsroom
A new confrontation occurred on Saturday morning in the Deneia region, within the UN-controlled buffer zone, when a Turkish military vehicle reportedly entered the area and ordered a Greek Cypriot farmer to leave his field.
According to information obtained by the Cyprus News Agency, the incident took place around 10 a.m. as the farmer was cultivating land situated inside the buffer zone. A Turkish military patrol approached and demanded that he withdraw. UN peacekeepers soon arrived, after which the farmer left the area. The military vehicle briefly returned a short time later, prompting UN personnel to re-enter the scene. Both the Turkish troops and UN peacekeepers eventually departed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged a protest and is coordinating with local community officials and the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) to ensure the protection of civilian access to farmland and to uphold the neutrality of the buffer zone.
Government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis stated that the authorities are treating the matter with “close and serious attention.” He emphasized that actions by the Turkish military constitute an attempt to alter the buffer zone’s status in violation of international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Letymbiotis reaffirmed that the Republic of Cyprus “will continue to respond calmly and firmly, guided by international law and the principles governing the UN peacekeeping mandate.”
With information from CNA.
