Nicosia, Cyprus. UN undersecretary-general for peace operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix is visiting Cyprus, a trip the government described as important. He is expected to meet President Nikos Christodoulides to discuss recent developments in the Cyprus problem.
Government says visit planned
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told the Cyprus News Agency on Monday that the visit was planned and that Lacroix and Christodoulides will exchange views on the latest developments in the Cyprus problem. He said they will also discuss UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ efforts to bring about fresh negotiations, as well as what he called the latest violations by the occupying army.
Letymbiotis said the visit shows the UN’s commitment and that it remains unwavering.
Meetings with Unficyp officials
Lacroix was photographed greeting members of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp) alongside Unficyp head Khassim Diagne. He is expected to hold formal meetings with Diagne and other UN officials in the coming days.
Pyla tensions and tank sightings
Lacroix’s arrival follows a week in which concerns over heightened tensions emerged in Pyla, a buffer zone village between Larnaca and Famagusta, after a line of Turkish tanks was spotted in the area.
Unficyp spokesman Aleem Siddique told the Cyprus Mail that the tanks were at all times north of the northern ceasefire line and therefore not in the buffer zone, and later confirmed they had departed. Siddique also said there were no military assets inside the buffer zone and that reports of a Turkish flag being planted in the buffer zone did not correspond to reality, adding that the flag is located in the north.
Because Pyla and nearby Pergamos are close to the United Kingdom’s Dhekelia base, British vehicles also deployed to the area. British bases spokeswoman Korina Orphanides told the Cyprus Mail the vehicles were deployed as a precaution and took no action, indicating the tanks were outside the base.
Report cites military sources on deployment
News website Kibris Postasi quoted military sources as saying the tanks were deployed because Greek Cypriot authorities attempted to facilitate illegal crossings into the buffer zone near Pyla, possibly involving veterinarians, citing an outbreak of foot and mouth disease on the Greek Cypriot side.
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