Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz visited Cyprus on Thursday and warned against “the use of the island in operations targeting the Middle East.” He said such operations “pose a risk to all countries in the region.”
Comments at Ercan airport
Speaking at a press conference at the north’s Ercan (Tymbou) airport, Yilmaz said “the developments of the past week have made this situation even more concrete,” referring to the island’s British Akrotiri air force base being hit by an Iranian-made drone on Monday.
Reference to British military activity
His comments followed reports that Cyprus was the likely launchpad as British fighter jets engaged and shot down drones flying in Jordanian airspace on Tuesday night. The British defence ministry said at the time that F-35 fighter jets “shot down uncrewed aerial systems in defence of Jordan.”
Criticism of military reinforcements
Yilmaz said he opposed the Republic of Cyprus calling in military reinforcements from Greece and France, among other countries, after the drone strike.
“The Greek Cypriot administration’s granting of usage privileges to third countries at military bases on the island poses a risk to everyone living there,” he said, adding that “the Greek Cypriot administration acts as if it owns the entire island.”
He said the administration’s “decisions, disregarding the will and the sovereign equality of the Turkish Cypriot people,” and its approach of “finding a role for itself in great power rivalries,” including “recent military engagements and policies over its own bases,” increase security risks for the island.
Turkey’s role on the island
Yilmaz said, “this situation makes Turkey’s responsibility as a guarantor and its historical obligation even more apparent.”
“As a guarantor and a motherland, our military presence on the island has contributed to the development of the entire island in terms of security and stability for over half a century,” he said.
He added that “Turkey’s presence has created a safer environment not only for the TRNC and the Turkish Cypriot people, but also for the Greek Cypriots living in the south.”
“There has been peace, security, and tranquillity on the island for over 50 years. Both the Greek Cypriot side and the TRNC have developed and increased in their prosperity in this environment,” he said.
How do you assess the impact of recent military activity on security risks in Cyprus?
