Turkish Cypriots have given peacekeepers on the island a deadline of one month to leave if the United Nations does not recognise its existence. Established in 1964, UNFICYP is one of the longest-running UN peacekeeping missions in existence.

“We decided to give them another month. It is not the Greek Cypriot government who will approve of your mission in the north. It is us,” Hurriyet quoted as saying to the UN force. Turkish troops invaded the eastern Mediterranean island in 1974 after a Greek-engineered coup seeking to unite it with Greece, and tens of thousands of soldiers from mainland Turkey are still posted there

UNFICYP’s presence is dictated by a mandate issued by the UN Security Council, which is renewed every six months at the end of January and July. Ertugruloglu said UN peacekeepers have two camps in the north. UNFICYP, which said on Wednesday it had not received any notification , it was established to prevent clashes between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.

It currently has just over 1,000 personnel, including nearly 750 peacekeepers. Negotiations to resolve the Cyprus conflict have been deadlocked since 2017. In 2004, a UN plan aimed at reunifying the island was put to a referendum on both sides: it was approved by nearly 65 percent of Turkish Cypriots but rejected by more than 75 percent of Greek Cypriots. The internationally recognised government of Cyprus joined the European Union a week later.

Source: Parikiaki.com