The situation at the buffer zone in Pyla remains calm, Unficyp spokesman Aleem Siddique said on Sunday morning, two days after a violent altercation against UN peacekeeping forces.
“Everything is calm. The peacekeeping force is maintaining its presence in the area and closely monitoring the situation,” he told CNA.
UN peacekeepers were beaten by Turkish Cypriot military and police personnel on Friday, while attempting to block the unauthorised construction of a road through the buffer zone between the villages of Pyla and Arsos.
Siddique assured Unficyp forces were on the ready to avert and works linked to the contentious road.
The assault led to three peacekeepers treated for minor injuries. One was punched in the face, in an attack that sparked condemnation both on the local and international front.
The British High Commission, the French Embassy, and the US Embassy in Cyprus expressed “serious concern” at the launch of unauthorised construction of a road leading from the north into the UN-delineated buffer zone to the bi-communal village of Pyla.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned 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”.
A day before the altercation, the north’s ‘foreign ministry’ announced it will carry out “improvements” to the road, which is currently closed to the public.
Currently, the only way to drive between the two villages is to drive through the British base in Dhekelia and the village of Pergamos.
Cyprus’ government reacted to the news saying 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.
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