Road construction works on an unauthorised road in the buffer zone between Arsos and the bi-communal village of Pyla will continue at normal rates on Monday, Turkish and Turkish Cypriot media reported.
According to the latest information from the Turkish Cypriot media, the repair and widening of the road on the United Nations (UN) controlled Green Line “continued with low intensity on Sunday morning, due to the weekend and the specific works were completed at noon on Sunday.”
According to Anadolou Agency, workers completed foundation works for the new road.
UN peacekeeping personnel remain in the area and are monitoring the work, in stand-by position, according to the Turkish Cypriot press.
The media claim that the area is secured by police from the north and that during the works UN personnel and vehicles are not allowed to enter the construction zone in any way.
They also state that “road repair and widening work will continue throughout the day at a normal rate from Monday morning.”
Meanwhile, the Turkish cabinet will meet on Monday in Ankara, as reported by the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot press, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ministers are expected to discuss the issue of Pyla.
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis on Thursday condemned the move to construct the road, after the north’s ‘foreign ministry’ announced “improvements” to be carried out on the road, which is currently closed to the public.
Letymbiotis said the north’s authorities are “attempting to create new settlements within the dead zone by planning an illegal entry into the area” and added that the road will connect Arsos with an “advanced illegal military outpost”.
“This is an attempt to seriously violate the status quo”, he said, adding that the Cypriot government is working to prevent the plans from going ahead.
Earlier announcements from the north’s ‘foreign ministry’ had presented the road’s construction as a humanitarian project to ease the transportation of Turkish Cypriot residents of Pyla, and listed similar Greek Cypriot activities within the buffer zone.
The UN Security Council is expected to discuss the incident on Monday, during a scheduled closed session that will take place at 3pm in New York (10pm Cyprus time).
The meeting had been planned as a consultation on the Middle East and Syria, however, the developments in Pyla have been added to the agenda.
Unficyp spokesman Aleem Siddique on Sunday assured that UN forces were at the ready to avert works linked to the contentious road, even after peacekeepers were attacked on Friday by Turkish Cypriot police.
The incident has sparked condemnation on the local and international front, including from the British High Commission, the French Embassy, the US Embassy, and Armenia.
Russia is the only permanent member of the Security Council that has not addressed the incident to date.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, issued a statement condemning the assault, saying “threats to the safety of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN property are unacceptable and may constitute serious crimes under international law”.
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