The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reacted to the Greek Cypriot Foreign Ministry Spokesman Dimitris Dimitriou, who made statements regarding the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’s (TRNC) proposal for the UN Peacekeeping Force to serve in the TRNC.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry pointed out that the Greek Cypriot Administration did not have the authority to comment on the operations of the UN personnel within the territory of the TRNC.

It noted that the statement made by the Greek Cypriot Foreign Ministry spokesman was “detached from the facts” and added that “it should go on record that when it comes to relations between the TRNC and the UN, the Greek Cypriot Administration, which only represents the Greek Cypriots, does not have the right to comment.”

“The TRNC has recorded on every occasion, both verbally and in writing, that the UN Peacekeeping Force has been able to carry out its presence and activities in our country thanks to our goodwill, and that a legal agreement is hereby required for it to continue its presence and operations in our country,” the statement read.

It continued to state that despite all the calls made by the Turkish Cypriot side and its needs, the UN has so far refrained from taking any steps in this direction.

The foreign ministry statement also noted that Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, during his recent visit to New York in September, had also taken a proactive step by submitting a constructive draft agreement to the UN Secretariat and was waiting for the UN’s response within a reasonable time.

“We have always valued and continue to value our relations with the UN and the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). However, it should be stressed that the UN can only carry out its activities in a country within the framework of an agreement signed with the authorities of the said country. It is our priority to reach an agreement acceptable to both parties. If an agreement cannot be reached, the TRNC reserves its rights,” read the statement.