While the government is expected to submit a bill to parliament this month that would define Turkish zones of jurisdiction in the Aegean and Mediterranean, Turkey and Greece have once again clashed off the coast of Cyprus.
The incident occurred as Cyprus hosted a meeting of EU defense ministers during its term as president of the European Council. Aircraft heading to the south of Cyprus passed through the airspace of the Turkish-controlled northern part of the island, which is officially recognized only by Turkey.
As a result, on June 7 Turkish air force jets harassed planes carrying Greek Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias and European defense ministers to the informal EU meeting in Cyprus, and Turkish aircraft also violated Greek Cypriot airspace, the Greek Cypriot government said.
Radio communications with the aircraft carrying the defense ministers of Greece, the Netherlands and France were disrupted by controllers operating from the Ercan airport in the Turkish-controlled north, said Victor Papadopoulos, spokesperson of the government in the south. He added that the aircraft carrying Defense Minister Dendias was also approached by Turkish fighter jets. Greek officials also reported that two Turkish F-16 fighter jets tracked at least one of the aircraft carrying European delegations while maintaining a distance.
WHAT HAPPENED?
“The claims are entirely false,” said the Center for Combating Disinformation (DMM), operating under the Turkish Presidency. “Four out of six aircraft operating on the route between Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration violated the airspace of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Consequently, two Turkish F-16 fighter jets on alert duty stationed in the TRNC were immediately scrambled as a precautionary measure.”
The DMM said that Turkish aircraft remained within Northern Cyprus airspace, did not violate the airspace of the Greek Cypriots, and did not harass the aircraft in question.
Turkish Cypriot authorities also rejected the Greek Cypriot complaints. Kürşad Hüdaverdioğlu, head of the Turkish Cypriot air traffic controllers’ union, denied that any interference had occurred. He said the F-16s had taken off in response to an emergency and flew north of the island without violating airspace.
EU EXAMINES REPORTS
Dendias briefed the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and the European Council about the incident.
The European Commission said on June 9 that it was examining reports of interference with aircraft carrying European defense ministers to Cyprus.
CYPRUS SIGNED SOFA AGREEMENT WITH FRANCE
One day after the incident, on June 8, France and Cyprus signed a Status of Forces Agreement that included the deployment of French military personnel on the island, as well as military technology sharing, joint exercises, military training, equipment support, and the defense industry.
“The Greek Cypriot leadership must immediately cease taking steps that risk turning not only our island but also our region into a target,” the Turkish Cypriot Foreign Ministry said.
DEFENSE MINISTRY REACTS
At its weekly press conference on June 11, the Defense Ministry noted that France does not hold guarantor status in Cyprus, and the agreement violates international law and aims to unilaterally alter the delicate balance on the island.
“We are closely monitoring provocations aimed at destabilizing the Eastern Mediterranean and escalating tensions. We reiterate that any military alliance targeting the rights and interests of Turkey and the TRNC has no chance of success. The Turkish Armed Forces possess the strength and resolve to deliver the strongest possible response to hostile actions that threaten the security of the Turkish Cypriots,” the ministry said.
TO BE DISCUSSED AT THE NATO SUMMIT?
Tufan Erhürman, president of Northern Cyprus, said he believes the Cyprus issue will certainly be on the agenda at the NATO Summit to be held in Ankara on July 7–8.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also invited European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa to the summit, which will be attended by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Sefa Karahasan, a Turkish journalist living in Cyprus, reported that Yiannis Antoniou, deputy spokesperson for the Greek Cypriot Government, said, “NATO could take on a role in Cyprus to monitor a solution or ensure security once Turkish troops have withdrawn.”
The Greek Cypriot government has been waiting for years for the right moment to submit its application for NATO membership, hoping to overcome Turkey’s veto.
