The self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has given the UN “
one month
” to leave the northern part of the Mediterranean island if it does not recognize its existence.
“
Our hospitality has reached its limits: either they sign a military agreement with the TRNC, or they leave
,
” Foreign Affairs “
Minister ” Tahsin Ertugruloglu said, according to comments reported Wednesday by the Turkish daily Hürriyet.
Read alsoIn Cyprus, evidence of Turkish influence
“
We decided to give them an extra month.
It is not for the Greek-Cypriot government to approve your mission in the north.
It's up to us
,” insisted the manager.
The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has, says Mr. Ertugruloglu, two bases in the TRNC, a territory recognized only by Ankara.
UNFICYP said on Wednesday that it had not received any notification from the TRNC.
Since the invasion of northern Cyprus by the Turkish army in 1974 in response to a coup d'etat by Cypriot-Greek nationalists who wanted to attach the island to Greece, the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the EU since 2004 , is divided into two.
Read alsoThe UN “does not give up” a reunification of Cyprus
The northern part, where mainly Turkish Cypriots and settlers live, was declared the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983.
The UN Force was created in 1964 to prevent clashes between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.
She remained on the island to monitor the ceasefire lines and the buffer zone and to undertake humanitarian activities.
It currently has just over 1,000 personnel, including nearly 750 peacekeepers.
Negotiations on a settlement of the conflict have been stalled since 2017. In 2004, a UN plan intended to reunify the island was submitted to a referendum.
Approved by almost 65% by the Cypriot-Turkish people, the agreement had been rejected by more than 75% by the Cypriot-Greeks in the South.
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