Sarbanes: Erdogan accountable for Pyla assault
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.
“I hold Turkish President Erdogan accountable for this assault and consider it part of the pattern of provocation and destabilizing conduct that, among other things, argues against sending F-16s to Turkey,” Sarbanes said in a statement.
“Cypriots have lived with the looming shadow of Turkish occupation for 49 years. While Cypriot leaders and the European Union have urged a peaceful reunification of the island, Turkish Cypriot authorities and Turkish President Erdogan have made it clear through continuing rounds of escalatory behavior their intent to subvert peace negotiations,” he said.
Sarbanes added that the Turkish Cypriots’ attempt to construct a road from Turkish-occupied Cyprus to Pyla is a jarring escalation of tensions in the region and blatantly violates long-standing international agreements designed to protect Cyprus from exactly this kind of aggression.
The Congressman described the attack by the Turkish Cypriot forces as inappropriate, which justifies international condemnation, and welcomed the statements issued by the British High Commission, the French Embassy, and the US Embassy in Cyprus.
“I urge President Biden to use the United States’ good offices at the United Nations to ensure the crisis in Pyla is meaningfully addressed by the UN Secretary General and the UN Security Council,” Sarbanes’ statement concluded.
[Kathimerini Cyprus]
