Turkish ire at Cyprus over mosque arson attack
Ankara is maintaining a harsh stance in relation to Cyprus, as seen by its reaction to an arson attack on a mosque in Limassol and its posture at the buffer zone in the Pyla area when Turkish Cypriots attacked members of the UN peacekeeping force.
Although the reaction of the Cypriot government was immediate, with President Nikos Christodoulides condemning the attack while instructing a swift investigation, Turkey reacted in high tones.
Specifically, a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement underlined, among other things, that the attack “highlights how far some parts of the Greek-Cypriot community are from understanding how to live with Muslim Turkish Cypriots in peace, tranquility and tolerance and is further proof that the two-state vision of the Turkish-Cypriot side is the only realistic model for the solution of the Cyprus problem.”
Meanwhile, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas in the UN Department of Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca met with Christodoulides on Monday as part of contacts to seek a formula to restart talks between the two sides.
The coming period is seen as crucial, in particular the contacts that Christodoulides will have in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
