Secretary-General Condemns Assault against United Nations Peacekeepers in Cyprus

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General condemns the assault today against United Nations peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) by Turkish Cypriot security personnel.  The incident, which resulted in injuries to the peacekeepers and damage to United Nations vehicles, took place inside the buffer zone near Pyla/Pile as UN peacekeepers were preventing unauthorized construction work in the area, in accordance with their mandate.

The Secretary-General stresses that threats to the safety of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN property are unacceptable and may constitute serious crimes under international law.

The Secretary-General urges the Turkish Cypriot side to respect the authority of UNFICYP as mandated by the Security Council and to withdraw all personnel and machinery from the UN buffer zone immediately. He calls on the Turkish Cypriot side to constructively re-engage with UNFICYP to find a mutually agreeable way forward in the Pyla/Pile area. 

The Secretary-General reiterates his long-standing call on the parties to refrain from taking any unilateral actions that may raise tensions and compromise finding a mutually acceptable way forward.