General Assembly

Fifty-ninth session

Agenda item 29

Question of Cyprus

Security Council

Sixtieth year

Letter dated 17 May 2005 from the Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

Upon instructions from my Government and further to my letter dated
24 March 2005 addressed to you (A/59/755-S/2005/205), I have the honour to draw your attention to new violations of the flight information region (FIR) of Nicosia and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus by military aircraft of the Turkish Air Force, recorded on 30 March 2005, on 4, 6, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20, 25, 27 and 28 April and on 3, 4, 5 and 6 May 2005, as follows.

On 30 March 2005, one C-160 Turkish military aircraft entered the FIR of Nicosia , violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , flying over the occupied area of Mesaoria, before landing at the illegal airport of Tymbou , from where it departed on the same day towards the FIR of Ankara .

On 4 April 2005, one Turkish military aircraft of unknown type coming from the FIR of Ankara entered the FIR of Nicosia , violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , flying over the occupied area of Mesaoria, before landing at the illegal airport of Krini , where it remained.

On 6 April 2005, one C-130, two RF-4 and two F-16 Turkish military aircraft carried out a total of three violations of international air traffic regulations and two violations of the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , as follows:

(a) The C-130 Turkish military aircraft coming from the FIR of Ankara entered the FIR of Nicosia, violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus, flying over the occupied area of Mesaoria, before landing at the illegal airport of Tymbou, from where it departed on the same day towards the FIR of Ankara;

(b) The two RF-4 and two F-16 Turkish military aircraft coming in one formation entered the FIR of Nicosia , violating international air traffic regulations, before exiting towards the FIR of Ankara .

On 13 April 2005, two C-160 Turkish military aircraft entered the FIR of Nicosia , carrying out three violations of international air traffic regulations and three violations of the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , as follows:

(a) The first C-160 Turkish military aircraft coming from the FIR of Ankara entered the FIR of Nicosia, violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus, flying over the occupied area of Mesaoria, before landing at the illegal airport of Tymbou;

(b) The second C-160 Turkish military aircraft coming from the FIR of Ankara entered the FIR of Nicosia , violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , flying over the occupied area of Mesaoria, before landing at the illegal airport of Tymbou , from where it departed on the same day towards the FIR of Ankara .

On 14 April 2005, one C-160 Turkish military aircraft took off from the illegal airport of Tymbou , violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , before exiting towards the FIR of Ankara .

On 15 April 2005, one Black Hawk Turkish military aircraft took off from the illegal airport of Krini , violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , before exiting towards the FIR of Ankara .

On 18 April 2005, one B-200 Turkish military aircraft coming from the FIR of Ankara entered the FIR of Nicosia, violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus, flying over the occupied area of Mesaoria, before landing at the illegal airport of Tymbou, from where it departed on the same day towards the FIR of Ankara.

On 20 April 2005, one C-130 Turkish military aircraft entered the FIR of Nicosia , violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , flying over the occupied area of Mesaoria, before landing at the illegal airport of Tymbou , from where it departed on the same day towards the FIR of Ankara .

On 25 April 2005, one Turkish military aircraft of unknown type took off from the illegal airport of Tymbou , violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , before exiting towards the FIR of Ankara .

On 27 April 2005, one C-160 Turkish military aircraft coming from the FIR of Ankara entered the FIR of Nicosia, violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus, flying over the occupied area of Mesaoria, before landing at the illegal airport of Tymbou, from where it departed on the same day towards the FIR of Ankara.

On 28 April 2005, four F-4 Turkish military aircraft coming in one formation and one Turkish military aircraft of unknown type entered the FIR of Nicosia , carrying out two violations of international air traffic regulations and one violation of the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , as follows:

(a) The four F-4 Turkish military aircraft coming in one formation entered the FIR of Nicosia , violating international air traffic regulations before exiting towards the FIR of Ankara ;

(b) The Turkish military aircraft of unknown type coming from the FIR of Ankara entered the FIR of Nicosia , violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , before landing at the illegal airport of Krini .

On 3 May 2005, one CN-235 Turkish military aircraft entered the FIR of Nicosia , violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , flying over the occupied area of Mesaoria, before landing at the illegal airport of Tymbou , from where it departed on the same day towards the FIR of Ankara .

On 4 May 2005, one C-130 Turkish military aircraft entered the FIR of Nicosia , violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , flying over the occupied area of Mesaoria, before landing at the illegal airport of Tymbou , from where it departed on the same day towards the FIR of Ankara .

On 5 May 2005, two Turkish military aircraft of unknown type entered the FIR of Nicosia , carrying out two violations of international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , as follows:

(a) The first Turkish military aircraft took off from the illegal airport of Krini, violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus, flying over the occupied area of Morfou, before landing at the same airport;

(b) The second Turkish military aircraft of unknown type took off from the illegal airport of Krini, violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus, before landing at the occupied area of Morfou, from where it departed flying towards the occupied area of Ammochostos, where it landed, and later returned to the illegal airport of Krini.

On 6 May 2005, one CN-235 Turkish military aircraft and one Turkish military aircraft of unknown type entered the FIR of Nicosia and carried out three violations of international air traffic regulations and three violations of the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , as follows:

(a) The CN-235 Turkish military aircraft coming from the FIR of Ankara entered the FIR of Nicosia, violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus, flying over the occupied area of Mesaoria, before landing at the illegal airport of Tymbou, from where it departed on the same day towards the FIR of Ankara;

(b) The Turkish military aircraft of unknown type took off from the illegal airport of Krini , violating international air traffic regulations and the national airspace of the Republic of Cyprus , flying over the occupied areas of Morfou and Kormakitis, before landing at the same airport.

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus , I strongly protest the above-cited violations and call for their immediate cessation. As repeatedly indicated in our previous communications, such acts blatantly contravene international law and air traffic regulations and seriously endanger international civil aviation. Moreover, these violations increase insecurity, maintain a climate of tension in a particularly sensitive region and undermine the efforts made to achieve progress in resolving the long-standing Cyprus issue.

Were Turkey to refrain from further violations and to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus , it would contribute significantly to improving the climate and to creating the conditions required for reconciliation and reunification of Cyprus .

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 29, and of the Security Council.