UN’s Cyprus force keeping eye on Turkish Cypriot moves in buffer zone
UN peacekeepers on the ethnically divided island of Cyprus are reportedly keeping a close eye on recent Turkish Cypriot activity in the buffer zone between the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish-occupied north, following tension in August over Turkish Cypriot efforts to build a road traversing United Nations-controlled territory.
According to the Cyprus News Agency, members of the UNFICYP were placed on alert on Monday after Turkish Cypriot soldiers were spotted, ostensibly carrying out construction work, near the Ayios Dometios checkpoint in Nicosia, which is in the UN-controlled buffer zone.
The soldiers were reportedly installing a rotating camera and an antenna on top of a disused building that they had linked up to a power source earlier in the Ayios Dometios suburb, a move described by the Cypriot government spokesman, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, as “a serious violation” of the rules governing the buffer zone.
“We are collaborating with the Turkish Cypriot side to prevent tensions and ensure the maintenance of the status quo,” UNFICYP spokesperson Aleem Siddique told the CNA, saying that the situation in the area remains “calm and under control.”
