UN forces told to recognize 'TRNC' or leave

Source: Greek City Times

According to today's front page of the Turkish daily Hurriyet, 'officials' in the occupied north of Cyprus are requesting that peacekeeping personnel leave their UN installations if they do not recognize the TRNC state.

According to Manolis Kostidis, SKAI's correspondent in Istanbul, the Turkish Cypriot side has given the UN a month to move forward with recognizing the "TRNC" Turkish republic of northern Cyprus or face eviction. 

Tahsin Ertugruloglu, the 'foreign minister,' stated that if Unficyp does not reach an agreement with the breakaway regime, they will be forced to close their two northern stations. 

According to Ertugruloglu, Unficyp's mandate stems from an agreement with the Greek-Cypriot side, while they are being hosted in the north.

"Our hospitality has ended; either sign a military agreement with the 'TRNC,' or leave," he said. 

He added that he and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations Jean Pierre Lacroix at the UN General Assembly in New York, where they presented their preliminary 'status of forces of agreement' (SOFA). They also informed them that additional steps will be taken to have the 'TRNC' recognized. 

"We have lived with the security of the Turkish army since 1974; if the UN soldiers leave the 'TRNC,' they will leave," he said.

Invited to comment on the substance of the Turkish Cypriots' request, UNFICYP spokesperson, Aleem Siddique, noted "we haven’t received an official notification from them so we can’t address the substance of what they are saying."

[With information from CNA]