North officially denies involvement in Potamia shooting

Police on Monday are continuing to investigate the claim that a Greek Cypriot forager was shot by Turkish soldiers in Potamia on Sunday.

Local media reported at the time that three Greek Cypriots claimed to have gone to the area to forage for wild asparagus, when their pick-up truck was approached by a Turkish military vehicle, and they were shot at.

A 45-year-old man sustained an injury to his shoulder and was rushed to Nicosia general hospital.

According to police, the Greek Cypriot was in the buffer zone with two other men at around 3pm on Sunday.

Police spokesman Christos Andreou said that he was taken to surgery, but that he was not in danger.

According to reports in Kibris Postasi, the military authorities in the north said that the claims did not reflect the truth. Military officials told the website: “In coordination with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force, it has been learned that the incident arose out of a land dispute between the Greek-Cypriots and they shot each other.”

CyBC radio reported on Monday that an official statement by the ‘foreign ministry’ in the north, backed the Turkish military’s claims, saying that the Greek-Cypriots had been involved in a scuffle among themselves culminating in the shooting injury.