Regarding the Event Organized by the Permanent Mission of the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus in New York on the Occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Deployment of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.

It has been observed that the Permanent Mission of the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (GCA) in New York organized an event on 14 June 2024 at the United Nations Headquarters, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the deployment of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNFICYP) to the island, with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the GCA and some senior United Nations officials.

To this day, the Greek Cypriot side has claimed at every opportunity that the Cyprus issue began in 1974. However, it is a pleasing development that after 60 years the Greek Cypriot side is admitting that the issue actually started with the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 186 in 1964, by organizing this event. This demonstrates, albeit slowly, the capacity of the GCA to gradually recognize the historical reality.

The fact that the UN, which is supposed to be impartial in its missions, will host an event on the anniversary of Resolution 186, which essentially created the Cyprus problem, once again clearly demonstrates that the UN does not keep an equal distance from the sides on the island.

UN Security Council Resolutions which are adopted annually to extend the mandate of UNFICYP continue to refer to the so-called “Government of Cyprus”, which has lost its legitimacy 60 years ago, and also seek its so-called “consent”. This approach is another clear demonstration of UN’s biased stance. In fact, international community began to treat the Greek Cypriot side as the sole legitimate government on the island and the Turkish Cypriot people as a “minority community” in the aftermath of Resolution 186. This did not only create the Cyprus issue but also made it complex and inextricable.

It should be remembered that the Turkish Cypriot people experienced the darkest chapter of their history while UNFICYP was on duty on the island. Peace in Cyprus was not achieved through the presence of UNFICYP, but only following the intervention of our motherland, Republic of Türkiye in 1974, in accordance with its legitimate rights stemming from the international treaties of 1960. After 60 years to this day, UNFICYP has become the longest-serving “peacekeeping” mission in the world. However, its mandate has gone no further than maintaining the status quo on the island rather than establishing peace or achieving reconciliation between the sides.

Resolution 186 misdiagnosed the issue and subsequent resolutions have deepened the problem. Therefore, it is impossible to speak of a lasting and just settlement in Cyprus as long as these resolutions remain in place. At this point, the greatest responsibility lies at the hands of the UN officials working on the island. They must observe and report the pertaining realities on the ground in an unbiased manner. Accordingly, the UN officials in Cyprus must guide the United Nations Security Council in an objective and impartial manner to review its outdated resolutions, particularly Resolution 186, which have lost their validity and are disconnected from reality. Otherwise, Greek Cypriot side and the UN officials will find themselves organizing more events not only for the 60th but also for the 160th anniversary of UNFICYP.