Cyprus problem

Turkey's foreign minister accused the United Nations of abandoning its neutrality on Tuesday, a day after the UN Security Council criticized construction work by Turkish Cypriots inside the buffer zone dividing Cyprus and condemned their assault on UN peacekeepers.

The European Commission condemned on Tuesday an assault on UN peacekeepers by Turkish Cypriot security personnel inside the UN buffer zone dividing Cyprus last Friday.

Türkiye's president on Aug. 21 criticized U.N. peacekeepers for blocking the construction of a road in Turkish Cyprus, calling the action "unacceptable" and accusing the peacekeeping force of bias against Turkish Cypriots.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye would not allow any "unlawful" behavior toward Turks on Cyprus.

The UN Security Council on Monday called unauthorized construction by Turkish Cypriots inside the UN buffer zone dividing Cyrus a violation of the status quo that is contrary to council resolutions and it condemned their assault on UN peacekeepers.

Turkey's president on Monday criticized UN peacekeepers for blocking the construction of a road in ethnically divided Cyprus, calling the action "unacceptable" and accusing the peacekeeping force of bias against Turkish Cypriots.

The assault on Friday against members of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) by Turkish Cypriots, after they attempted to block unauthorized road construction works inside the buffer zone near Pyla, "is absolutely condemnable,"the main opposition said in a statement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the current situation as a "great opportunity" for finding solutions to the differences with Greece, but he was quick to separate the Greek-Turkish issue from the Cyprus problem, where Ankara insists on the logic of a two-state solution. 

Defense Minister Yaşar Güler has reassured the public that Türkiye's commitment to peace, stability and cooperation in Cyprus and the Mediterranean will persist, while emphasizing the protection of national interests during the pursuit of a solution to the longstanding issue.

At a time of apparent mobility on the Cyprus issue despite Ankara's hard line, Athens and Nicosia reaffirmed their common stance during the meeting on Monday between visiting Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. 

Greece and Cyprus on Monday welcomed moves by Turkey to boost relations with the European Union, but said rapprochement should be gradual and not unconditional. European Union foreign ministers said on July 20 they were ready to re-engage with Turkey, but stopped short of offering Ankara a clear resumption of membership talks.