Head of community council of the village of Deneia, in Nicosia district, Christakis Panayiotou protested a new incident which took place Tuesday between Greek Cypriot farmers and Turkish soldiers, adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Guard have been notified and a visit to the area is expected later today or Thursday.

UNIFICYP, replying to a request by the Cyprus News Agency to comment, said that its presence averted anything worse from happening.

According to Panayiotou, a farmer went to the area Tuesday morning to cultivate his fields. UN was also present, approached the Greek Cypriot and urged him to leave the area “because it is dangerous and the Turks would arrest him”.

The Head of the community council told the Cyprus News Agency that the farmer replied that he had been cultivating the field for 15 years, and the UN told him that these are the instructions they have. They asked him, according to Panayiotou, why he did not go to the outpost that the Turks had set up to protest. Half an hour later, Turkish soldiers came down with trucks, but the farmer was inside his tractor finishing his job and therefore they could not arrest him.

Panayiotou said the Greek Cypriot farmer along with others visited the area again Tuesday afternoon adding that the Turks brought new soldiers. He said that the soldiers came down with a military car and that some of them hid behind some bushes, 50 meters away.

UNFICYP said that the farmer was working without authorization inside the Buffer Zone and north of the ceasefire line, “despite being warned several times that he should move back”.

“UNFICYP was present and our presence averted anything worse from happening,” said UNFICYP Spokesperson Aleem Siddique

Source: Parikiaki.com