Finnish peacekeeping veterans visit Cyprus 60 years since the establishment of the UN peacekeeping operation

Around 130 Finnish peacekeeping veterans and their families visited Cyprus in November 2024 to remember their years of service on the island in the 1960s and 70s. The group included also veterans who served in the first battalion 60 years ago in 1964. Back then, Finland was one of the first countries to deploy troops to the UN peacekeeping operation in Cyprus.

Kykko Camp, the base camp of the Finnish Contingent of the UN peacekeeping operation UNFICYP, located near Nicosia International Airport. Nowadays it is part of the UN protected area; the so-called Green Line that divides the island. The Finnish peacekeepers' memorial site was built there later on to honor their legacy in Cyprus. The memorial site is designed by Markku Valkama who served in Cyprus in the 1970s.

Embassy of Finland in Nicosia organized a ceremony together with UNFICYP(Link to another website.) at the newly restored memorial site. In her speech, Ambassador Päivi Peltokoski thanked the veterans for their valuable work, that has created the basis to the Cyprus peace negotiations and strengthened the good reputation of the Finnish peacekeepers both in Cyprus as well as in peacekeeping globally. Also Colin Stewart, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UNFICYP as well as Charis Moritsis, Deputy Head of the Political Department of the Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed their gratitude to the Finnish contribution to the peacekeeping efforts on the island. Finnish Peacekeepers’ Association (Rauhanturvaajaliitto(Link to another website.)) was represented by Lieutenant Colonel Juha Niemi.

After the occasion, the veterans got an opportunity to visit the abandoned Nicosia International Airport that has not been operational since the 1974 war. The visit at the deserted airport was a walk down the memory lane 50 years back in time as many veterans shared their personal memories of the airport during the Turkish occupation. Some of the Finns had sought shelter behind sandbags on the rooftop, while others had kept the engine room running in such heat that the soles of their shoes melted to the floor.

At the end of the day, Ambassador Peltokoski hosted a reception at the Finnish residence. In addition to the Finnish veterans, the reception was also attended by a group of Canadian veterans who once served together with the Finns. The reunion of the veterans was a memorable one. The Canadians who rescued Finnish peacekeepers from the 1974 crossfire at Kykko Camp returned Finns the UN flag that was left behind in the Canadian car during the rescue operation. 17 Finns were injured in the firefight, but due to the help of the Canadians, none of the Finns were killed at the time. This reunion of 2024 was the first time in 50 years when some of the Kykko Camp rescuers and survivors met each other. The returned flag was also signed by the 1974 Canadian peacekeepers who served alongside the Finns.

Honorary Consul General Demosthenis Severis, who has worked for Finland for more than 50 years, recalled in his appreciative speech the excellent cooperation with the Finns. In particular he mentioned Jorma Pullinen, the commander of Finnish forces, who served in the 1970s and who became his close friend. At the reception, Lieutenant Colonel Juha Niemi, representative of the Peacekeepers' Association, and Captain Mauri Rytkönen awarded the medal of honor to Finnish UN police officer Tuukka Kansa for his contribution to the restoration of the Finnish Peacekeepers' Memorial in Nicosia.

The year 2024 marks 60 years since the establishment of the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus and 50 years since the start of the Turkish occupation. Finnish peacekeepers were among the first to arrive to calm the Cyprus conflict down in 1964, together with Canadians, Swedes, Danes, Irishmen and Brits. In total, more than 10 thousand Finnish peacekeepers served in UNFICYP, which is still active on the island. Since 2021, Finns have been part of the operation’s police forces.