The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a written statement condemning strongly the press release issued by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the Pile-Yiğitler road.

“The statements made by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force and some countries regarding the issue, as well as the statement from the UN Security Council, distort the actual situation. The primary role of the UN Peacekeeping Force on the island is to maintain peace” The Foreign Ministry statement stressed.

“The United Nations Security Council has issued an unfortunate statement regarding the Pile-Yiğitler road, which is being constructed with purely humanitarian purposes in mind to facilitate the access of our citizens living in the Pile village to TRNC territory and their lands in Pile” The Foreign Ministry statement said.

“The Pile-Yiğitler road project has a history of over 25 years. During this time, the authorities of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have always displayed a constructive attitude and called for cooperation from the relevant parties. It is quite significant that the relevant parties, including the United Nations, who have ignored our calls and demands for steps to facilitate the daily lives of our citizens living in Pile, are now criticizing this road construction” the statement added.

“The statements made by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force and some countries regarding the issue, as well as the statement from the UN Security Council, distort the actual situation. The primary role of the UN Peacekeeping Force on the island is to maintain peace. However, in the incident that occurred on August 18, 2023, the United Nations Peacekeeping Force attempted to obstruct a project that was developed entirely for humanitarian reasons and had no military purpose, using their soldiers and vehicles, and displaying a provocative attitude” the Foreign Ministry noted.

“When the United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Principles are examined, it is clearly seen that elements such as obtaining the consent of the parties and neutrality are in the foreground. The United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNFICYP) is able to maintain its presence and activities in our country thanks to our good-will approach, even though it did not seek the consent of the Turkish Cypriot side.  Nearly half of its budget is covered by the Greek Cypriot Administration and Greece. The fact that the UN Peacekeeping Force is far from demonstrating a neutral stance towards the parties on the island within the framework of impartiality and rather assumes the role of advocating for one side has been highlighted once again through this incident” the statement stated.

“Like any sovereign state, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has the right to implement projects that benefit its citizens on its own territory” the Foreign Ministry stressed and added, “The call by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the Pile-Yiğitler road works to be carried out by the parties through negotiations is not a consistent and fair approach, as it has so far not issued any warnings or interventions to the Greek Cypriot side, which has repeatedly violated the buffer zone and has permanent violations in the entire buffer zone, especially in the village of Pile.”

“In its statement, the UN Security Council is, as always, trying to impose a formula that has been exhausted. We would like to remind the member states of the United Nations Security Council that there are two distinct peoples and states in Cyprus, and emphasize that accepting and respecting this reality is the most appropriate step to take. Achieving a solution on the Cyprus issue requires the initiation of a new process based on sovereign equality and equal international status, in the framework of respecting the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people” the Foreign Ministry statement concluded.