Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar criticised the Greek Cypriot administration for becoming a logistical base for Israel and some Western countries.
Tatar pointed to the increased US and British military activity in South Cyprus following Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip on 7 October. He also accused the Greek Cypriot administration of turning the south into a military centre serving foreign interests rather than its own.
The president repeated warnings about the growing military presence in southern Cyprus, saying that historical mistakes by the Greek Cypriot administration had made it a target for major Middle Eastern organisations.
Expressing his country’s agreement with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s statement that “Israel is using southern Cyprus as a logistical base,” Tatar emphasised that he would not allow his country’s land to be used to support any kind of massacre.
Emphasising the peace established as a result of the Turkish operation in 1974, he noted that southern Cyprus is jeopardising this 50-year stability. He criticised the Greek Cypriot administration for actions that could disrupt regional peace and called for policies to avoid unnecessary risks.
Cyprus has been mired in a long-running dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite several UN diplomatic efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement. Ethnic attacks that began in the early 1960s forced the Turkish Cypriots into enclaves for their own safety.
In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup to obtain the island from Greece led to the military intervention of Turkey as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, TRNC was founded in 1983.
