The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, spoke on Tuesday of a particularly worrying situation in the Buffer Zone, in statements made in Paphos, on the sidelines of the Epiphany celebrations.
Invited to comment on the ongoing Turkish provocations facing Greek Cypriot farmers in the Buffer Zone, the President of the Republic said that he had been in contact with the Head of UNFICYP in Cyprus, who, he said, traveled to New York yesterday where he will brief the United Nations Security Council.
The situation as regards the provocations “is something that concerns us and we are taking all necessary steps, diplomatic steps, but also other actions, because our primary concern is the safety of farmers, the safety of all those who operate within the Buffer Zone completely legally,” he stressed.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
On Monday morning Turkish Cypriot tractors entered the Avlona buffer zone and proceeded to cultivate a plot of land belonging to a Greek Cypriot owner. The land in question is located within the area of responsibility of the United Nations.