Ertuğruloğlu evaluates South Cyprus purchase of combat helicopters

He said the timing of the Greek Cypriot side’s purchase of the 6 combat helicopters from France is important.

Speaking to BRT Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu explained that as a result of an agreement they made in August 2020, in an environment where the Greek Cypriots were trying to show that they were supposedly very well-intentioned and sincere, the Parliamentary Defence Committee authorized the purchase of 6 combat helicopters for the Greek Cypriot National Guard.

He stated that the issue did not end here and that the Greek Cypriot side would be purchasing 12 combat helicopters in total.

“In an environment where the Greek Cypriots are trying to show that they had so-called good intentions, they decided to purchase 6 combat helicopters for the Greek Cypriot National Guard,” said Ertuğruloğlu and added that if the Greek Cypriot side was sincere about Confidence Building Measures (CBM’s), they should accept the fact that they do not represent the whole island.

‘Confidence building would begin with such a step’ said Ertuğruloğlu.

Touching upon the issue of CBM’s Ertuğruloğlu said that the sole purpose of the proposals put forward by the Greek Cypriot side as if they were new, was to reinforce the status of the Greek Cypriots as a state and the Turkish Cypriots as a society of that state.

“I would like to emphasize once again that we will not be tricked into trying to show that we have good intentions. I also want to warn our political structure in terms of not giving credit to these insincere, fake policies of the Greek Cypriots” said Ertuğruloğlu

Noting that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will present a counter proposal package, Ertuğruloğlu said that the most important dimension of the content of this package is the dimension of accepting the sovereign equal status of the parties.

Ertuğruloğlu said that on the basis of the existence of two sovereign equal states, Confidence-Building Measures will be real Confidence-creating measures and that a meaningful and fruitful process can be brought to the agenda on the island.

“The essence of our proposals should come to the fore. This essence is the acceptance of the sovereign equal status of the two parties and the development of relations on this ground. This should never be overlooked. Unless this happens, there will be no discussion of any process” he said.