The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday announced its plans to carry out improvements on the Pile –Yiğitler road, which is currently closed to the public.

In a written statement, the ministry said that the Pile – Yiğitler road project was prepared with the sole purpose of facilitating the transportation of citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) living in the village of Pile to the territories of the TRNC for purely humanitarian reasons.

“Despite the constructive attitude of the Turkish Cypriot side regarding the road project, which has been going on for more than 25 years, and all the calls it has made for this purpose, steps have not been taken to facilitate the daily lives of our citizens in Pile and our goodwill has not been reciprocated,” the ministry’s statement read.

The statement explained that the expansion/improvement project of the existing Pile – Yiğitler road was designed to enable the people of Pile to easily access their lands in the Pile area, promote economic development for the local community, and allow passage to the village without being dependent on the British Sovereign Base Areas.

It was noted that Greek Cypriots living in Pile could freely travel to and from the Greek Cypriot side without undergoing any border/customs controls and were not subject to any restrictive measures by the British Sovereign Base Areas authorities.

Currently, the only way to drive between the two villages is to drive through the British base in Dhekelia and the village of Beyarmudu.

The foreign ministry then went on to list roads operated by the Greek Cypriot administration which run through the buffer zone, including the road between Pile and Voroklini, as well as the road between Larnaka and Ayia Napa constructed in 1996, which passes over land owned by Turkish Cypriots.

In addition, the ministry cited the expansion of the University of Central Lancashire campus into the buffer zone, and the construction of an open-air cinema in Derinya as “proof the Greek Cypriot side’s violations of the buffer zone are not limited to road constructions”.

It added that “we expect the UN Peace Forces in Cyprus (UNFICYP), which maintains its presence and activities on the island with the goodwill of the Turkish Cypriot side, to adopt a constructive and cooperative stance in this regard”.

The statement also pointed out that the total length of the Pile – Yiğitler road was 11.6 km, with the initial 7.5 km segment falling within the boundaries of Yiğitler and the remaining 4.1 km segment within the boundaries of Pile.

It was also mentioned that the road within the project scope would consist of 2 lanes.

The statement concluded, “Implementing this humanitarian project is believed to contribute to the initiation of a new process based on genuine respect for the inherent rights of both sides in Cyprus, founded on sovereign equality and equal international status, fostering cooperation.”