 said Monday that a planned agreement allowing a French military presence in Cyprus would be an “extremely dangerous” and provocative step, after Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said the deal is expected to be signed in June.){kind=link}
The prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) said Monday that a planned agreement allowing a French military presence in Cyprus would be an “extremely dangerous” and provocative step, after Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said the deal is expected to be signed in June.
Cyprus has been divided for decades. The mostly Greek-speaking Republic of Cyprus, which controls the southern part of the island, is internationally recognized and is a European Union member. The KKTC controls the north and is recognized only by Turkey.
Christodoulides said on Sunday that an agreement with France would allow French forces to be present on Cypriot territory for humanitarian purposes and would be concluded at the ministerial level. He linked the plan to closer defense ties with France following President Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit and a strategic partnership deal signed in December.
KKTC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said any military steps on the island would require the consent of Turkish Cypriots and warned that moves taken without such approval would damage peace and stability.
The issue comes at a time of higher security tensions in the eastern Mediterranean after the Iran conflict brought military activity closer to Cyprus. France has already sent naval and air defense assets to the region in support of Cyprus after a drone strike hit a British air base on the island last month.
Turkey intervened militarily in Cyprus in 1974 after a coup on the island backed by Athens sought union with Greece. Turkish forces took control of the northern part of Cyprus, and the island has remained divided ever since, with a United Nations buffer zone separating the two sides.