Akrotiri, Cyprus. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said Greece would be “unforgivable” to turn its back on Cyprus “at such a difficult time,” after Greece deployed four fighter jets and two frigates to the island. The deployment followed a drone strike on the British Akrotiri air force base.
Dendias calls defence support a national obligation
Dendias told To Vima that it would be “historically and nationally unforgivable” for Greece to abandon Cyprus during the crisis, adding that Greece must mean it when it says it stands by Cyprus. He said “rapid practical defence support for the Republic of Cyprus is a national obligation” and that the deployment demonstrated that Cyprus does not “lie far away,” but “lies nearby.”
Military assets deployed to protect Cyprus
Dendias said the mission of the four F-16 fighter jets and the navy’s most modern frigate, Kimon, as well as the second frigate, Psara, which carries the Centauros anti-drone system, “aims solely and exclusively to protect the Republic of Cyprus.” He said Greece was “raising a protective shield over Cyprus,” and pledged that Greece would stand by the Republic of Cyprus and its legal residents throughout the crisis, contributing every available means to its defence and the security of residents.
European military deployments and solidarity
Dendias said Greece’s swift response last Monday “acted as a catalyst for the activation of reflexes at the European level,” adding that France, Germany, Spain, and Italy had deployed military assets to Cyprus in recent days. He said the Greek initiative highlighted the importance of European solidarity.
Request from Cyprus and contacts with Turkey
Dendias said his Cypriot counterpart Vasilis Palmas requested the deployment of Greek assets and that he responded positively “without a second thought.” He also referred to recent contact between Greece and Turkey, noting that Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke last week, and that a delegation from the Greek air force was invited to Turkey as a confidence-building measure following the announcement of the F-16 deployment.
What do you think the Greek deployment to Cyprus will mean for regional security in the coming days?