Muhammet Ikbal Arslan
30 January 2021•Update: 30 January 2021
LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) expressed regret Saturday for a recent UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution on the extension for six months of a mandate of a peacekeeping force in Cyprus.
"As we have emphasized in the past, it is an important deficiency that the consent of Turkish Cyprus for the presence of The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) was not received again," the TRNC’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Security Council extended the mandate of a peacekeeping mission on the island until July 31.
"This mandate even ignores the basic principles of the UN regarding peacekeeping operations. We expect the UN to extend the peacekeeping mandate after obtaining the consent of our state," it added.
The TRNC reiterated that despite legal deficiencies, the UNFICYP continues activities on the island thanks to the well-intentioned and constructive approach of our authorities on the issue.
The Turkish side will continue to insist on its justified demand for a legal arrangement between Turkish Cypriot authorities and the UN to ensure that activities of the UNFICYP are carried out on the correct ground, it added.
If the request is not met, the well-intentioned attitude of UN peacekeepers regarding its activities in the TRNC may be reviewed, it said.
Turkish Cyprus supports a 5+UN informal meeting on Cyprus -- including the two sides on the island, plus three guarantor countries -- to be held in that format and for this purpose at an appropriate time.
It is clear that the reason for the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean is the provocative activities of the Greek Cypriot side, which is far from sharing and cooperation on hydrocarbon resources, it added.
The ministry stressed the issues related to the Eastern Mediterranean can be resolved through cooperation on hydrocarbon resources of the Turkish and Greek Cypriots sides as equal partners of the island.
In 1974, following a coup aiming at Cyprus’ annexation by Greece, Ankara intervenes as a guarantor power. In 1983, the TRNC was founded.
The decades since have seen several attempts to resolve the Cyprus dispute, all ending in failure. The latest effort, held with the participation of the guarantor countries -- Turkey, Greece, and the UK -- ended in 2017 in Switzerland.
The UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus was established under the UNSC in 1964 to avert a fight between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
The presence of the force on the island has been questioned by the Turkish side due to its political and biased approach.
