Turkish Defence Ministry Warns France Against Cyprus Military Deal

The ministry made the statement in response to questions after its weekly press briefing, held aboard the TCG Anadolu off Antalya as part of the Denizkurdu-II naval exercise.

The ministry said it was closely following what it described as steps aimed at undermining stability and increasing tension in the Eastern Mediterranean.

"The agreement signed between France, which has no guarantor status in Cyprus, and the Greek Cypriot administration, which seeks to unilaterally alter the fragile balance on the island and disregards the will and equal sovereign rights of the Turkish Cypriots, is contrary to the 1960 Cyprus agreements and to international law," the defence ministry said.

“We once again recall the fact that any military alliance that ignores the sensitive balances in the region and targets the rights and interests of Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has no chance of success against Turkey,” the ministry said.

“As a guarantor country, we will continue to protect the rights, interests and security of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, as we did in the past,” it added.

The Turkish Armed Forces have the strength and determination to give the firmest response to hostile attitudes threatening the security of Turkish Cypriots, the ministry said.

The ministry also denied reports in Greek media that Turkish aircraft had harassed planes carrying the Greek defense minister and European ministers.

It said four of six flights on the Greece-Greek Cyprus route violated Turkish Cyprus airspace on June 7, prompting two Turkish F-16 jets on alert duty in Turkish Cyprus to take off as a precaution.

The Turkish jets operated over Turkish Cyprus airspace, did not enter Greek Cyprus airspace and did not harass the aircraft in question, the ministry said.

At the briefing, ministry spokesperson Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk also said Turkey was concerned about the possibility of renewed clashes between Iran and the United States.

“All sides must act with restraint and give priority to diplomatic solutions for lasting peace and stability in our region,” he said.

The ministry reiterated that attacks should end and that the issue should be resolved through diplomacy.

On the Denizkurdu-II exercise, Aktürk said the drill was being carried out in the Black Sea, the Marmara Sea, the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean to test command-and-control capacity and joint operational procedures.

He said 125 ships, 60 air assets, unmanned naval vehicles and 18,000 personnel from several commands and security institutions were taking part.