Nicosia, Cyprus. Russia’s Ambassador to Cyprus Murat Zyazikov said NATO forces concentrating near the island were adding to tensions in an already volatile region rather than easing them. He spoke as European warships converged in the Eastern Mediterranean following a 2 March drone strike on the British base at Akrotiri.
Naval deployments after Akrotiri drone strike
Zyazikov made the remarks on Wednesday in comments to the Russian TASS news agency, saying the Akrotiri drone attack had served as the formal pretext for the alliance’s naval build-up.
France redirected its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and dispatched frigate FS Languedoc with ground-based air defence units to Cyprus. Greece sent two frigates, Kimon and Psara, and four F-16 fighter jets. Britain deployed Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon, while Italy, Spain and the Netherlands also committed frigates to the region. The United States has more than 30 warships operating in the broader area.
Claims about security concerns on the island
Zyazikov said the incident had reinforced the view among Cypriots that the presence of military facilities belonging to NATO nuclear powers on the island created security threats rather than offering protection.
“The reaction of the Cypriot authorities, who unambiguously expressed their concern about this, was logical,” he said.
Cyprus, the EU and the UN
Zyazikov noted that Cyprus is not a NATO member and said the European Union, of which Cyprus is a part, is a political and economic alliance rather than a military one. He added that the United Nations remained the only platform for equal dialogue in resolving international conflicts.
Cypriot stance on military operations and regional role
The ambassador welcomed repeated statements by Cypriot leadership that the country was not participating in any military operations during the current regional conflict. He said this strengthened Nicosia’s position as it pursued one of its goals during Cyprus’s six-month EU Council presidency of bringing the EU closer to Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean states.
Concerns among residents and call for diplomacy
Zyazikov said populations in the region, including Cyprus’s residents, were watching the arrival of NATO military assets near the island with concern. He noted that more than 150,000 Russian nationals lived in Cyprus.
“It is hard to imagine that a show of military force would contribute to de-escalation of tensions in this specific region, or on our planet as a whole,” he said.
He said Moscow consistently advocated abandoning force-based approaches to conflict resolution and called for political and diplomatic solutions balancing the interests of all sides.
How do you assess the impact of increased naval deployments near Cyprus on regional security?
