The UN Peacekeeping Force, mandated by Security Council Resolution 186 of March 4, 1964, has been unable to go beyond maintaining the status quo, rather than establishing peace or achieving reconciliation between the parties, the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.

In a written statement issued on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the essence of the Cyprus issue lies in the status issue, which is a result of Resolution 186.

It underscored the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to ensure that the activities of the UN Peacekeeping Force are conducted within a legal framework.

The statement highlighted that following Security Council Resolution 186, the international community’s treatment of the Greek Cypriots as the sole legitimate government on the island and the Turkish Cypriots as a “minority community” has contributed to the complexity and intractability of the Cyprus issue.

It pointed out that the anniversary of the presence of the UN Peacekeeping Force on the island symbolizes the date when our legitimate rights were usurped.

“The only party that put an end to the atrocities suffered by the Turkish Cypriot people for 11 years and still ensures and protects peace today is the Republic of Türkiye, which intervened on the island in 1974 within the framework of its legitimate rights stemming from the 1960 International Treaties. Security Council resolutions extending the term of the UN Peacekeeping Force continue to refer to the ‘Cyprus Government,’ which has lost its legitimacy over the past 60 years. Despite the lack of consent from the TRNC, Turkish Cypriot authorities have allowed the UNFICYP to operate within its territory out of goodwill and hospitality, and we will continue our efforts to ensure that its activities are conducted within a legal framework,” the statement read.