Northern Cyprus criticizes Greek Cypriots for turning south into military hub to serve Western interests

By Mehmet Kemal Firik

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar has criticized the Greek Cypriot administration for becoming a logistical base for Israel and certain Western countries, endangering the island's 50-year peace.

Sharing his assessment with Anadolu's "West's arms support to Israel" series, Tatar pointed to increased military activity by the US and UK in Southern Cyprus following Israel's attacks on Gaza on Oct. 7. He accused the Greek Cypriot administration of turning the south into a military hub serving Western interests rather than its own.

Tatar reiterated warnings about the growing military presence in Southern Cyprus, claiming that historical mistakes by the Greek Cypriot administration have made it a target for major Middle Eastern organizations.

Expressing his country's agreement with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's statement that "Israel is using southern Cyprus as a logistical base," Tatar stressed that he would not allow his country's land to be used to support any kind of massacre.

Emphasizing the peace established by the Turkish operation in 1974, he noted that Southern Cyprus is endangering this 50 years of stability. He criticized the Greek Cypriot administration for actions that could disrupt regional peace and called for a policy that avoids unnecessary risks for the island.

Underscoring the irresponsibility of making the island a target again, Tatar urged Greek Cypriots to consider their future and not to jeopardize the hard-won peace on the island.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Crans-Montana, Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.

*Writing by Yasin Gungor in Istanbul