Türkiye has hailed an agreement between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus regarding the construction of the Yigitler-Pile road.

“The construction of the Yigitler-Pile road, a humanitarian project, has been on the agenda for decades to facilitate direct access for TRNC citizens living in the mixed village of Pile in the buffer zone to their own homeland,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

“The understanding on the construction of the road is yet another example of the constructive attitude that the TRNC side has always displayed."

“The TRNC’s approach is also indicative of the contribution that the Turkish side will make to the success of the only realistic settlement model based on the cooperation of the two states on the island,” it added.

TRNC’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that an agreement between the TRNC and the UN Peacekeeping Force was reached regarding the construction of the Yigitler-Pile road.

On August 18, UN peacekeepers intervened in the road construction work to connect the Turkish Cypriot village of Pile in the island’s buffer zone with the rest of the TRNC.

The roadwork is strategically important for residents, as it will give them more options to reach Pile, where Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots live together.

The Greek Cypriot administration, however, is opposed to the project.

What happened on Pile-Yigitler

The Turkish Cypriot administration had begun the construction of the road on August 17, after duly informing the UNFICYP (United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus). Two days later, UN peacekeeping forces placed concrete barriers and parked their vehicles along the route within TRNC territory to prevent the passage.

This led to an eruption of conflict between the peacekeepers and the TRNC police, in which, according to Bulent Bebek, the Mayor of Beyarmudu Municipality, eight officers and two private landowners were injured. Soon, TRNC security forces retaliated, pushing back the peacekeepers and removing their obstacles by bulldozer to restore the status quo within TRNC territory and along the Green Line.

After the incident, Türkiye declared its full support for the TRNC actions, with the Turkish Foreign Ministry issuing a strong statement condemning the attack.

Following the departure of peacekeeping forces, the road construction has started again.

Through the road, the residents will be able to bypass a checkpoint at one of the two military Sovereign Base Areas retained by the British after they left in 1960. Decreasing the dependence on the checkpoint will help the economic development of the regional community.