Cyprus sends letter to UNSG reporting Turkish violations of its air and sea area

Cyprus’ Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Andreas Mavroyiannis, has reported Turkish violations of the national air space and sea area of the Republic of Cyprus, recorded in November and December 2019.
 
In a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, dated 4 February 2020, which was circulated as an official document of the UN General Assembly and Security Council, Mavroyiannis urges Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot community to contribute to a substantial resumption of the peace process, instead of focusing on undermining the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus.
 
Mavroyiannis attaches four documents that record the national air space of Cyprus, the international flight regulations in the Nicosia FIR, and the illegal use of the closed ports and airports by Turkey. He furthermore notes he systematic use of the illegal airport of Tympou by Turkish commercial aircraft.
 
He points out that this behaviour causes great concern to the Republic of Cyprus and that Turkey’s insistence on violating the UN Charter, international law, and international rules and regulations, constitutes a constant threat to world peace and security, undermines regional stability, puts international civil aviation in danger, causes difficulties to air traffic in Cyprus, and prevents the creation of a favourable environment for continuing the peace process.
 
Mavroyiannis says Turkey’s actions clearly aim at undermining the sovereignty of Cyprus, maintaining the de facto division, upgrading the secessionist entity, and demanding a so-called air space over the areas of Cyprus it occupies since it invaded the island in 1974.