It said the incident occurred inside the buffer zone near Pyla, outside the southern coastal town of Larnaca.
“Threats to the safety of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN property are unacceptable and constitute a serious crime under international law which will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” the UN mission said.
An official said Turkish Cypriot police and military in plain clothes had punched a peacekeeper and assaulted a dozen others by “pushing them back violently”.
A tractor was used to drag a UN vehicle out of the way and major damage had been caused to three vehicles, said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
In its statement, the UN mission urged the Turkish Cypriot side to “respect the mission’s mandated authority inside the UN buffer zone, refrain from any actions that could escalate tensions further, and withdraw all personnel and machinery from the UN buffer zone immediately”.
UNFICYP said it was determined to block any construction work and would remain in the area. “The mission is monitoring the situation closely and remains committed to ensuring calm and stability are maintained in the area,” it said.
Inside the buffer zone between the internationally recognised Greek Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Photo: AFP
Cyprus government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis accused the Turkish side of trying to create new “faits accomplis” at Pyla by constructing a road connecting the “occupied village of Arsos with a forward illegal military outpost”.
He said it was “an attempt at a very serious violation of the status quo”.
European Union member Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish forces occupied the island’s northern third in response to a military coup sponsored by the junta then in power in Greece.
The statehood of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus that Turkish Cypriot leaders proclaimed in 1983 is recognised only by Turkey.
Efforts to reunify the eastern Mediterranean island have been at a standstill since the last round of UN-backed talks collapsed in 2017.
