Complaint about the Turkish violations of the national airspace and maritime space of the Republic of Cyprus, which occurred from September to December 2021, was sent to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres by Cyprus' Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Andreas Hadjichrysanthou.
The letter, although dated 13 April 2022, was released on Tuesday 26 April as an official document of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly.
The violations concern Cyprus' national airspace, violations of international air traffic regulations in Cyprus' flight information region, violations of Cyprus' territorial waters and the illegal use of closed ports and airports of Cyprus by Turkish air and naval forces,
"In summary, 470 air and 27 naval violations were observed during this four-month period. Note that 140 of the 470 airborne violations involved the use of Turkish military drones," it said.
"On the ground, Turkey's aggressive behaviour continues unabated, based on the presence of its occupying army and the strong militarization of the occupied areas of Cyprus, through the continuous upgrading of its military infrastructure, such as the military drone base at Lefkoniko and the naval base at Bogazi," the letter notes. He adds that "movement restrictions continue to be imposed on the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus while open threats to remove the presence of the UN peacekeeping operation from the occupied areas are publicly expressed by the separatist regime."
"Completely ignoring the Security Council's appeal to the Turkish side to cease and reverse its violations of the status quo in Varosha, the illegal alteration of the area remains high on the agenda of the occupying power and the existing local government, which publicly declare that they will exploit the area economically for their own benefit," it says.
According to Cyprus' Permanent Representative to the UN, "Turkey's destabilizing actions in the region are accompanied by aggressive rhetoric, usually with false accusations against the very targets of Turkish aggressive behaviour, false arguments against Security Council resolutions, which are described by Turkey as outdated because they simply do not fit with Turkish demands for a "two-state solution" and calls on "the international community to address the realities on the ground".
It is obvious, it notes, "that according to Turkey, the so-called realities on the ground are in fact the situation created by Turkey itself in Cyprus through the use of force, in violation of Article 2 of the UN Charter and the continued military occupation of one third of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. Turkey demands that the international community recognize the changes resulting from the aggression, in accordance with the inactive doctrine of the right of conquest, and openly declares that it will continue to violate Security Council resolutions, in complete disregard of Article 25 of the Charter."
"Essentially, Turkey seems to want the world to travel back to the time before the United Nations existed, when the Ottoman and other empires ruled the world," it says."
The Security Council, it adds, "must stand behind its resolutions and ensure that they are meaningful. Otherwise, we risk undermining the credibility of the international system. Turkey's actions since 1974 constitute a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Cyprus."
"The sovereignty and territorial integrity of a Member State of the United Nations is protected and safeguarded by the Charter of the United Nations. Turkey's actions show blatant disregard for international law," the letter concludes.
Source: CNA
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
