In the written statement made by the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was noted that the project prepared for the expansion and improvement of the Pile-Yiğitler Road was prepared in order to enable the people of Pile to easily access the lands in the region, to develop the people of the region economically and to pass the Pile village to the British Sovereign Base Area without being dependent on it. .
UN PEACE POWER’S FALSE STAND…
In the statement, it was emphasized that for 25 years, the constructive attitude, goodwill and calls of the Turkish side regarding the Pile-Yiğitler Road Project were not met, and steps were not taken to facilitate the daily lives of the citizens living in Pile. Our consultations with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (BMBG), which remained silent on various violations in the buffer zone (Green Line), on the Pile – Yiğitler Road, whose humanitarian dimension has been brought to the agenda by us, have been inconclusive so far. We expect the UN, which continues its operations, to adopt a constructive and cooperative stance in this regard.” expressions were used.
Reminding that citizens living in the village of Pile can go to the Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA) regions without undergoing any customs control and without being subjected to any restrictive measures in the British Sovereign Base Areas, the statement reminded that citizens are subject to restrictions and controls in transportation to the TRNC. It was noted that the project was prepared for purely humanitarian reasons.
According to the project to be implemented, the total length of the Pile-Yiğitler highway will be 11.6 kilometers.
ANSWER TO TRNC’S EXPLANATION FROM UN
The UN, which works on the border between the TRNC and the Greek Cypriot Administration, stated that it is concerned about the construction and arrangement works of the TRNC in the buffer zone.
In the statement, it was claimed that the activities of the TRNC side were unauthorized, and that the priority of the UN was to prevent tensions in the buffer zone and to maintain the status quo.
BLOOD PRESSURE RISE
Tensions rose in the region due to the Pile-Yiğitler Road Project initiated by the TRNC administration to provide easy access to the village of Pile on the Green Line under the control of the United Nations. United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNFICYP) soldiers in Cyprus physically interfered with the TRNC police and road construction team in order to ensure security in the region. As tensions increased in the region, the UN and TRNC administration blamed each other.
“WE WILL BUILD THIS PATH. IT’S DONE”
Foreign Minister Ertuğruloğlu said, “The 5 permanent members of the UNSC are more Greek than Greek. On this island, they are trying to realize scenarios that will put us under the yoke of the Greek Cypriots. As long as we stand up against this, they continue to play the game of making us look bad and the Greeks good.” Ertuğruloğlu said, “We are not going to take a step back from our determination. We will do this road project. I hope the UN will not try to hinder us as it did today. Because we will not allow it, we will not allow it. We will do this way. It’s over,” he said.
WRITTEN EXPLANATION FROM THE UN FRONT
In a written statement made by UNFICYP, it was stated that TRNC personnel attacked UN peacekeepers and vehicles at the point where road construction started in the morning. Condemning the attack, the statement said, “The incident took place in the buffer zone near Pile, where UN peacekeepers blocked unauthorized construction work in the region. Threats to the security of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN instruments are unacceptable and constitute a serious crime under international law. A call was made to the Turkish side to respect the mandate of the UN mission in the buffer zone, to avoid any action that could further escalate the tension, and to immediately withdraw all personnel and construction equipment from the UN-controlled buffer zone. “The Mission is closely monitoring the situation and remains committed to maintaining calm and stability in the region,” the statement said.
DISCLAIMER FROM TRNC TO UN: “THE PHYSICAL INTERVENTION HAS BEEN MADE TO OUR POLICE AND ROAD CONSTRUCTION TEAM INSIDE TRNC TERRITORY”
The TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to the statement made by the Cyprus United Nations Peacekeeping Force regarding the tension in the buffer zone. The statement said, “The construction of the Pile-Yiğitler road started on 17 August 2023 in order to facilitate the access of our citizens living in the village of Pile to the TRNC lands and their lands in Pile. It is clear that the road construction project is purely humanitarian. Despite the situation, today, the police and the road construction team, who were in the region to ensure security in the region, physically intervened in the TRNC territory by the soldiers of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force, and the road construction was tried to be prevented. The UN’s attitude during this incident is unacceptable.
MINISTER ERTUĞRULOĞLU’S STRONG STATUS: “WE WILL BUILD THIS ROAD PROJECT”
In a statement to the TRNC media, TRNC Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu blamed the United Nations Peacekeeping Force for the tension in the region. Minister Ertuğruloğlu, who stated that a project that was brought to the agenda with a very humanitarian purpose and which did not contain any ulterior motives, was misrepresented by the UN officials, said: “All our troubles have been left to the mercy of our people living in Pile, the Greek Cypriots, the British Base Command and the UN. to remove the image, the reality. A UN move to increase the tension and a scenario aimed at satisfying the Greek Cypriot side are being played out,” he said. Noting that they prepared a road project to facilitate the entry and exit of the Turkish people in Pile, Ertuğruloğlu said, “We have prepared a road from the lands that we consider to be our own land, which is the buffer zone according to the UN, provided that it does not enter the territory of the British.” Stating that an old existing road will be paved, Ertuğruloğlu told the UN that the project was not for any military purpose and was not an attempt to steal land, and to facilitate the life and needs of the Turkish Cypriot people living in Pile, who felt isolated and left at the mercy of the Greek Cypriots, and their transportation to the TRNC. He stressed that they have repeatedly said that it is a project aimed at
REACTION FROM TURKEY TO UN PEACE POWER!
IYI Party Spokesperson Kürşad Zorlu said, “As the IYI Party, we are against this injustice and unlawfulness, and of course we are with the Turkish people of Northern Cyprus. ” used the phrase.
On the other hand, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Fuat Oktay condemned the intervention by the UN Peacekeeping Force to the road construction in the village of Pile, located on the Green Line of the TRNC.
Making a statement on his social media account, Oktay stated that the UN’s intervention in the road construction, which is a humanitarian project that will facilitate the access of Turkish Cypriots living in Pile to the TRNC, with the provocative guidance of the Greek Cypriot Administration is unacceptable. (AA-UAV)