The U.N. Security Council has denounced unauthorized construction by Turkish Cypriots within the U.N. buffer zone dividing Cyprus as a violation of the status quo and contrary to council resolutions. The council’s statement came after emergency consultations and condemnation of the U.N. peacekeepers by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for blocking the construction.
Turkey’s President Erdogan called the U.N.’s actions “unacceptable” and accused the peacekeeping force of bias against Turkish Cypriots, affirming Turkey’s commitment to preventing any “unlawful” behavior towards ethnic Turks on Cyprus.
The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, with a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north and an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south. A U.N. peacekeeping force (UNFICYP) has maintained a buffer zone and supervised a cease-fire between the two sides.
Turkish Cypriots recently clashed with peacekeepers after the latter blocked construction of a road that would encroach on the buffer zone. The road aims to connect the Turkish Cypriot village of Arsos with the buffer-zone-abutting Greek Cypriot village of Pyla.
The Security Council welcomed the halt in construction and called on both sides to support U.N. envoy efforts to negotiate agreed-upon development. It urged avoiding unilateral actions that could raise tensions and harm settlement prospects.
Erdogan criticized the peacekeepers’ intervention and statements, and described the road as a “humanitarian” project. The road dispute is likely to complicate efforts to restart negotiations to resolve the island’s division.
