Drones launched from the occupied north of Cyprus flew over an anti-occupation event in Deryneia on Saturday evening, repeatedly violating the buffer-zone regime, Cypriot authorities said. Competent services are examining the incident.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis said the episode was not an isolated drone flight but a coordinated action by the occupation army. He said the picture formed by the relevant services was far broader than the drone overflight alone, pointing to Turkish military movement in the area aimed at sending specific messages to the Greek Cypriot side. He described the actions as unacceptable and completely unjustified.
The drone flights caused strong displeasure in Nicosia because the gathering targeted by the overflight carries high symbolic weight. The annual event, organised by the Municipality of Famagusta, is dedicated to occupied Famagusta and is attended each year by refugees, state officials and ordinary citizens.
Steps through the United Nations expected
According to information, the competent services are evaluating all elements gathered during the incident. Steps are expected to be taken through the United Nations, which holds responsibility for supervising the buffer zone.
Nicosia views the incident as another Turkish provocation along the confrontation line at a moment when a new UN effort to maintain momentum on the Cyprus issue is under way. The Cypriot government regards the timing as deliberate, coming days after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres completed contacts in Cyprus and decided to convene a new multilateral conference on the Cyprus question.
The Cypriot government believes Ankara is seeking to assert its presence and the control it exercises in the occupied territories while trying to generate tension, without triggering an episode that would provoke a wider crisis.
Government sources said such actions would not affect the position of the Republic of Cyprus or its commitment to the UN efforts to restart the negotiating process. On the contrary, they said, incidents of this kind reinforce the need for the international community to remain actively engaged, as they demonstrate how fragile the situation remains along the Cyprus ceasefire line.
