Foreign relations of Cyprus

The UN Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to extend the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus for a year and urged all parties including rival Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to take steps "to de-escalate tensions in and around the buffer zone" dividing the Mediterranean island.

The European Union is ready to support United Nations-backed efforts to resume Cyprus peace talks, Belgian Ambassador to Cyprus Marc Calcoen told the Cyprus News Agency, as his country prepares to assume the bloc's six-month rotating presidency on January 1. 

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler hailed the good state of relations with Greece on Wednesday, expressing Ankara's desire for peace, but also noting that it will not back down on the Cyprus issue.

The further strengthening of the ties between Athens and Nicosia, and the coordination of their steps in a number of policy areas, was underscored on Friday during a plenary session of the 1st Intergovernmental Session between Greece and Cyprus at the Maximos Mansion.

Any improvement in Greek-Turkish relations will also help in resolving the Cyprus issue, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides has said, speaking after the inaugural Greece-Cyprus High-Level Cooperation Council on Friday.

Türkiye's president on Aug. 21 criticized U.N. peacekeepers for blocking the construction of a road in Turkish Cyprus, calling the action "unacceptable" and accusing the peacekeeping force of bias against Turkish Cypriots.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye would not allow any "unlawful" behavior toward Turks on Cyprus.

US Representative John Sarbanes holds Turkish President Erdogan accountable for the attacks by Turkish Cypriots against UN peacekeepers in Pyla and calls on US President Joe Biden to ensure that the crisis is "meaningfully addressed" by the United Nations.

The Russian Embassy in Cyprus will soon start providing consular services in the Turkish-occupied north of the divided island, according to a telegram from the Russian state news agency TASS citing an embassy spokesperson. 

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the current situation as a "great opportunity" for finding solutions to the differences with Greece, but he was quick to separate the Greek-Turkish issue from the Cyprus problem, where Ankara insists on the logic of a two-state solution. 

Defense Minister Yaşar Güler has reassured the public that Türkiye's commitment to peace, stability and cooperation in Cyprus and the Mediterranean will persist, while emphasizing the protection of national interests during the pursuit of a solution to the longstanding issue.