TRNC Leader Denounces Border Attack on Civilians by Greek Cypriot Groups

(MENAFN) Tufan Erhurman, president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, condemned on Wednesday an assault by groups from the Greek Cypriot Administration targeting civilians seated in a park near the border in the capital, Lefkosa.

Erhurman urged both the UN and the Greek Cypriot Administration to “urgently launch an investigation into the incident.” According to his statement, around 1:30 pm local time (1030 GMT), individuals on the Greek Cypriot side threw stones and explosives at TRNC citizens in the Yigitler Bastion area.

He highlighted that the attack occurred in a zone for which both the Greek Cypriot leadership and the UN Peacekeeping Force bear responsibility, as it functions as a buffer area and is used by UN forces. Contact has been made with UN peacekeepers and southern counterparts regarding the incident. Erhurman criticized the lack of precautions, saying, “On a day like April 1, when such incidents could be anticipated by everyone, it is unacceptable that no precautions were taken in such an area.”

He reaffirmed that the attack is strongly condemned and emphasized that efforts will continue to ensure that the Greek Cypriot authorities “urgently initiate the necessary judicial investigation and that those who carried out this attack are subjected to the required legal proceedings.”

The incident coincided with gatherings by Greek Cypriot groups on the Lefkosa side marking the anniversary of the founding of the EOKA organization. Around noon, these groups reportedly launched attacks using stones, sticks, and improvised explosives at civilians in Yigitler Bastion, adjacent to the zero point of the border and the UN-controlled buffer zone.

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