The assault on United Nations (UN) peacekeepers by Turkish Cypriot forces has been condemned by the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. They categorize these attacks as a “serious crime under international law.” In a joint statement, the embassies express their condemnation of the assaults and damage to UN vehicles. They emphasize that threats to the safety of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN property constitute a grave offense.
According to the UN, peacekeepers were obstructing the construction of a road that aimed to connect the Turkish Cypriot village of Arsos with the mixed Greek Cypriot-Turkish Cypriot village of Pyla, located within the buffer zone. This area is near Cyprus’s internationally recognized government. In response, Turkish Cypriot personnel reportedly attacked peacekeepers, physically assaulting them and damaging their vehicles.
The proposed road would bypass a checkpoint on the northern fringe of a British military base, providing Turkish Cypriots direct access to Pyla. The three countries call on authorities to halt the construction and respect the UN’s mandated authority in the area, where peacekeepers operate.
The assaults are deemed “completely unacceptable” and are seen as undermining the UN’s peacekeeping mandate by the three countries. They urge Turkish Cypriot authorities to refrain from further escalatory actions and violence towards UN peacekeepers, as this poses a risk to the prospects of returning to settlement talks.
Turkish Cypriot authorities, however, shift the blame onto UN peacekeepers, labeling their actions as “unacceptable.” They dismiss UNFICYP’s statement on the assaults as baseless allegations and accuse the peacekeeping force of being biased against them.
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