The Turkish military interfered with aircraft on which the defense ministers of several EU countries flew to a meeting in Cyprus. Politico writes about this with reference to the Cypriot authorities.
As the director of the press service of the President of Cyprus Viktor Papadopoulos said, the heads of the defense departments of Greece, France and the Netherlands reported about the problems in the air. The crews of their liners were notified of interference from the Erjan (Timbu) airport. It is located on the territory of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Vedomosti clarifies.
Greek and Cypriot officials clarified the situation: the dispatchers of the local airport purposefully intervened in radio conversations with aircraft. In addition, two Turkish F-16 fighters took to the skies. They accompanied at least one liner carrying European officials as it approached the island.
Cyprus intends to officially raise this issue about the incident at the EU level. Papadopoulos said that the Minister of Defense of the Republic will inform the head of European diplomacy Kai Kallas about the incident, and will also discuss the incident at the site of the European Council.
The authorities of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) categorically denied all the charges against them. The head of the local air traffic control union, Kürshad Hudaverdioglu, explained that F-16 fighters took off due to the emergency and did not cross any borders. He also called reports that these planes allegedly accompanied liners with European ministers, “politically motivated” and “distortion of facts.”
The incident occurred on the eve of the signing of an agreement on the status of the armed forces between France and the Republic of Cyprus, writes Politico. This document provides for the expansion of military cooperation, joint exercises and clearly prescribes the legal conditions for the stay of the French military on the island. Earlier, the authorities of the Turkish part of Cyprus opposed this agreement, saying that it could upset the existing balance of power.
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