A Turkish military vehicle entered the United Nations buffer zone near the village of Deneia on Saturday morning to block Greek Cypriot farmers from working their land, leading to a brief standoff.

The incident occurred around 10:00 a.m. local time when Greek Cypriot farmers entered the buffer zone to cultivate their fields. A vehicle belonging to the Turkish forces entered the area and ordered the farmers to leave, according to reports.

United Nations peacekeepers (UNFICYP) rushed to the scene to defuse the tension. After everyone initially pulled back, the Turkish vehicle briefly returned before UNFICYP members also came back to the spot. Both the Turkish soldiers and the peacekeepers eventually left the buffer zone after a period of time. A similar incident took place four days earlier, sources said.

Constantinos Letymbiotis, the Government Spokesperson, said the government is monitoring the situation with the required seriousness. He said the Turkish occupation army is “disputing the status of the buffer zone with unacceptable actions” and is “once again attempting to create new faits accomplis within it” in violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

Letymbiotis said the Republic of Cyprus “will continue to act with calmness, determination, and full commitment to international law.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is taking the necessary steps with UNFICYP to restore access for the farmers, according to MFA Spokesperson Theodoros Gotsis. Gotsis told Phileleftheros that the MFA has been in contact with community authorities and is making the appropriate representations to the UN force to restore the farmers’ access to their land, “in accordance with the terms of the UNFICYP mandate and the Security Council Resolutions.”

The Ministry of Defence is also aware of the incident and is closely monitoring developments.