No stepping back from road-construction endeavor: Turkish Cypriots

By Mehmet Kemal Firik

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Friday reiterated that there will be no stepping back from the road construction endeavor that aims to link the village of Pile in the buffer zone with the rest of the country.

“The Current Pile - Yigitler' Path expansion/improvement project has been prepared with the aim of ensuring easy access for the residents of Pile to their lands in the Pile region, promoting economic development for the local community, and enabling passage to the village of Pile without reliance on the British Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs),” said TRNC’s foreign minister in a statement.

Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertugruloglu stressed that the Pile-Yigitler road project was originally and solely designed for humanitarian reasons, to facilitate the life of the Turkish Cypriots in the village.

Adding that the endeavor doesn't mean to "steal land," he said: "We face a conspiracy that aims to present the Turkish Cypriot side as the culprit."

We remain determined to go ahead with the construction of the road, he added.

Moreover, Ertugruloglu called United National Peace Keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) "not a Turkish-friendly organization" and urged them not to try to prevent the endeavor.

- Tension in the buffer zone

UN peacekeeping forces erected concrete blocks on the construction site to prevent the commencement of road construction work.

Moreover, they parked their vehicles in the TRNC territory.

In response, TRNC security forces removed the vehicles by bulldozer.