Furore over ‘TRNC welcome sign’ at Ledra Street crossing

Unficyp on Monday said it was liaising with both sides in Cyprus to address security concerns and ensure the status quo was preserved after media reports that the Turkish army had placed a ’Welcome to the TRNC’ sign on the pergola erected at the Ledra Street crossing last month.

Daily Phileleftheros characterised it as an advancement of the Turkish army in the buffer zone, one of several recently. The daily also criticised Unficyp for “watching in apathy”.

It reported that Turkey was launching new moves to consolidate its presence in the buffer zone at the Ledra Street crossing by placing the welcome sign on the pergola last Saturday. The pergola was constructed just before the Turkish Cypriot crossing to provide shade for those standing in the queue waiting to enter the north.

The daily said that the peacekeeping force did not act after the erection of the pergola in August despite intense protests so the Turkish army had gone ahead and placed the welcome sign on Saturday. A similar welcome sign at the Ledra Palace crossing has been in place for decades.

The UN, the newspaper said, had once again shown “that they are neither ready to intervene nor obviously able to”.

The installation of the sign follows advancements of the Turkish military in Strovilia and at the  ​​Ledra Palace hotel area when last May, Turkish forces placed barrels on the access to the building, which houses Unficyp’s administrative services, claiming it is under their control.

There were also advancements by the Turkish army at the Wayne’s Keep Cemetery, in ​​Ayios Dhometios, claiming it lies in the occupied area, the daily reported.

Unficyp spokesperson Aleem Siddique told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) on Monday that maintaining the military status quo in the buffer zone remained the peacekeeping force’s top priority.

“While we do not comment on individual incidents, we are liaising with both sides to address security concerns and ensure the status quo is preserved,” he said.

He added that all incidents affecting security in the buffer zone are reported regularly in the Secretary-General’s report on Unficyp to the United Nations Security Council. The next report is due to be published in January 2020, he said.

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