Turkish planes fly over Kaimakli

THE DEFENCE Ministry said yesterday that several Turkish military planes had flown over the UN-controlled buffer zone and violated the Nicosia Flight Information Region (FIR).

A Defence Ministry official told CyBC that two Turkish F16s and three F4s had violated Cypriot airspace over two Nicosia suburbs, Kaimakli and Vorios Polos, close to the Green Line.

The planes were running through a rehearsal for Saturday’s military parade in the occupied areas to mark the 28th anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion.

A UN official confirmed that several Turkish military planes had flown over the buffer zone.

“This inability to determine the area of the buffer zone is something that seems to happen on an annual basis at this time of the year,” the UN official said.

It is likely the UN will follow up the issue of the air-space violation with the Turkish Cypriot side, UN sources told the Cyprus Mail – “although the incident was not unexpected,” the official added.

President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash began direct talks on a Cyprus solution in mid-January. The UN-led talks entered their fifth round on Tuesday.