Nicosia, Cyprus. The European Commission said on Tuesday it was examining reports of interference with aircraft carrying European defence ministers to Cyprus and was in contact with the Cypriot government. The reported incident occurred on Sunday as ministers travelled to Nicosia for an informal meeting of European Union defence ministers.
Commission response
Speaking during the Commission’s daily briefing, European External Action Service spokeswoman Anita Hipper said Brussels was aware of the matter and had started gathering information.
“We have seen the reports and are of course aware of the issue,” she said.
“We will examine exactly what happened and of course we will be in contact with our counterparts in Cyprus.”
Incident details
The incident took place as aircraft carrying Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias, together with the defence ministers of France and the Netherlands, travelled to Cyprus to attend the meeting in Nicosia.
According to the government, communications directed at the aircraft originated from the control tower at Tymbou (Ercan) airport in the north, while Turkish fighter jets were also observed operating in the area.
Cyprus government reaction
The government said aircraft carrying the Greek, French and Dutch ministers were affected and added that the matter would be raised through the appropriate diplomatic channels.
Government spokesman Victor Papadopoulos said Cyprus would “denounce all of this competently where appropriate”.
President Nikos Christodoulides described the actions as unacceptable.
“There is absolutely no excuse,” he said, adding that the incident involved aircraft from EU member states and reflected “a revisionist approach”.
