The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is concerned about plans for construction work by the Turkish Cypriot side inside the UN buffer zone, near Pile, it said on Thursday.

In an announcement, UNFICYP warned against unauthorised construction activities inside the UN buffer zone and underlined the importance of respecting the mission’s mandated authority.

“UNFICYP has been engaging with both sides and made progress in fostering a mutually agreeable way forward in the Pile area. UNFICYP calls on the Turkish Cypriot side to continue these efforts before construction work in Pile commences,” it stressed.

The force is continuing to monitor the situation closely to ensure that calm and stability are maintained, it added.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Greek Cypriot administration Konstantinos Letymbiotis condemned the move to construct a road through the buffer zone between the villages of Pile and Yiğitler.

Letymbiotis said that the TRNC authorities were attempting to create new settlements within the dead zone by planning an illegal entry into the area and claimed that the road will connect Yiğitler with an “advanced illegal military outpost”.

“This is an attempt to seriously violate the status quo”, he said, adding that the Greek Cypriot administration was working to prevent the plans from going ahead.