We fully support the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) concerning Resolution 2723 (2024) on extending the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in the Island of Cyprus (UNFICYP) for one year, adopted by the United Nations Security Council on 30 January 2024.

Contrary to the established practice of the United Nations, the consent of the Turkish Cypriots was, yet again, not sought during the mandate extension of the Peacekeeping Force. We make use of this occasion to draw attention to the fact that UNFICYP is able to continue its activities in the territory of the TRNC due to the goodwill of the TRNC authorities. We underline the need for a legal basis for the continuation of these activities and emphasize that we fully support the steps which will be taken by the TRNC side in this regard.

Over the years, UNFICYP has turned a blind eye to numerous violations of the buffer zone by the Greek Cypriot side. On August 18, 2023, its unfair attempt to prevent the construction of the Yiğitler-Pile road, a humanitarian project, once again demonstrated that it is not displaying the impartiality expected of peacekeeping missions. It is regrettable that the UN Security Council's latest resolution refers to the Council’s press statement of 21 August concerning the incident in question, which was completely divorced from the realities on the ground. The completion of the Yiğitler-Pile road would be an effective step towards restoring the Turkish Cypriots’ eroded confidence in UNFICYP and would contribute to the reduction of tensions on the ground.

On the other hand, we are deeply disappointed that the resolution extending UNFICYP’s mandate once again refers to outdated and exhausted models for a possible settlement, while not mentioning the two-state vision put forward by the President of the TRNC, H.E. Mr. Tatar. We emphasize that this approach is far from being fair and constructive at a time when a Personal Representative has recently been appointed to explore whether common ground exists or not between the two sides in the Island. We call on the UN Security Council to recognize that a just, lasting and sustainable settlement in Cyprus can only be reached on the basis of the realities on the ground and to reaffirm the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, namely their sovereign equality and equal international status. We reiterate our call to the UN Security Council and the international community for the recognition of the TRNC.