Turkish Cypriot teachers’ unions have expressed their opposition with the use of drones in the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus.

According to reports in the Turkish Cypriot press, in a written statement Secretary General of Turkish Cypriot primary school teachers’ union (KTOS) Sener Elcil said that there can be no peace with guns, while Turkish Cypriot secondary school teachers’ union (KTÖEÖS) president Selma Eylem condemned the move, calling it a dangerous step and asking for it to be rescinded.

The two unions issued statements after the first Turkish drones landed in the illegal airport of Turkish occupied village Lefkoniko.

Elcil said, among other things, that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his party AKP whose policy in Syria and Iraq was not successful are now trying to lead the Eastern Mediterranean region and Cyprus to a war in an effort to hide the bad course of Turkey’s economy.

On her part, Eylem spoke of wrong policies which do not just turn against Cyprus but also the region. She called on the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus to take the initiative in order to reach a solution in the island, within the framework defined by the UN Secretary General and for Cyprus to be rid of bases and guns.

According to reports in the Turkish Cypriot press the first Turkish drone landed at the airport of the Turkish occupied Lefkoniko on Monday at around 0900 hours local time (0700 GMT) and took off at 1110 hours local time (0910 GMT) towards the Eastern Mediterranean region. It returned to Turkey after a ten-hour flight.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

(CNA)