World

UN Security Council renews mandate of UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus for another year

Security Council unanimously agrees to extend UNFICYP's mandate until Jan. 31, 2026

Merve Aydogan  | 31.01.2025 - Update : 31.01.2025
UN Security Council renews mandate of UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus for another year UN vehicles in Cyprus

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution renewing the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for another year.

The mandate of the peacekeeping force is extended until Jan. 31, 2026.

The force, one of the UN's longest-running peacekeeping missions, has been stationed on the island since 1964.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot Administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.