Armed peacekeepers no longer needed: Turkish Cyprus

<p>By Kasim Ileri</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AA) – The foreign minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has called for turning the UN peacekeeping mission on the island into a civilian mission.</p> <p>In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Kudret Ozersay, who held meetings with UN officials and diplomats in the U.S., said the military mission was no longer necessary, adding the “changing circumstances” required a revision of the current peacekeeping forces on the eastern Mediterranean island.</p> <p>Ozersay travelled to New York on Jan. 7 to express the TRNC’s views to the UN and members of the Security Council, where the issue is expected to be discussed by the end of January.</p> <p>Underlining that the presence of the roughly 800 UN forces on the island was costly, the minister stressed its role as a deterrent against armed confrontation could be achieved by a civilian mission at half the current cost.</p> <p>“We believe there is no need for a [military] operation that costs nearly $22-23 million in one year,” he said, adding that $54 million is expected to be spent for the UN presence on the island in 2019.</p> <p>The minister said there is a general opinion in the UN that the functions, powers and number of UN peacekeeping troops on the island need to be revised, even if their mandate is extended in February.</p> <p><br></p> <p> </p> <p>- Drilling in Eastern Mediterranean</p> <p> </p> <p>Touching upon the current dispute on hydrocarbon extraction in the eastern Mediterranean, Ozersay noted that the issue could become an opportunity for dialogue between the two sides.</p> <p>He underlined that in the absence of bilateral agreement on drilling rights, companies could lose resources and time, and tensions could escalate in the region.</p> <p>Turkey has consistently contested the Greek Cypriot administration’s unilateral drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean, saying Turkish Cypriots also have rights to the resources in the area. </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>- Bilateral cooperation over federation </p> <p>Suggesting that a partnership based on cooperation may be more feasible between the north and the south of the island, Ozersay said the Greek Cypriots’ reluctance to share power and wealth made a federal model “impossible.”</p> <p>“If you do not want to share governance and wealth you cannot make a federal partnership,” he said, adding that cooperation in energy and fighting terrorism and organized crime could lead to interdependency between the two sides and “ultimately lead to a comprehensive solution to the dispute.”</p>