Türkiye has condemned a defence agreement signed this week between France and Southern Cyprus, describing it as a threat to regional stability and the rights of Turkish Cypriots.
In a strongly worded statement on Thursday, the Turkish Defence Ministry said the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) violates international law and existing treaties relating to the divided island.
“The agreement in question is contrary to international law and the treaties concerning Cyprus,” ministry sources said at a weekly press briefing.
They also warned that the Turkish military has both the “capability and determination” to protect the security of Turkish Cypriots against any perceived threat.
“Our armed forces have the power to give the harshest response to hostile attitudes and actions that threaten the security of the Turkish Cypriot people,” the ministry said.
Signed in Nicosia earlier this week, the deal provides for enhanced cooperation between French and Greek Cypriot military forces and allows for the presence of French personnel on the island.
The ministry’s criticism comes amid heightened regional tensions over energy resources, maritime jurisdiction and military partnerships involving Greece, Cyprus, France and other European countries.
Cyprus has remained divided since 1974, when a coup by Greek Cypriot nationalists seeking union with Greece prompted Türkiye to launch a military intervention on the island as a guarantor power under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee.
The intervention led to the establishment of a Turkish Cypriot administration in the north of the island and the declaration of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - recognised only by Ankara - in 1983.
Successive rounds of U.N.-backed talks have failed to achieve the island’s reunification.
In recent years, competing claims over offshore energy resources and maritime boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean have created additional tensions.
Ankara has repeatedly said that any arrangements affecting Cyprus must take into account the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots, as well as the broader security balance on the divided island.
France is preparing for a fresh wave of nationwide demonstrations this weekend as rising living costs, educatio...
U.S. President Donald Trump has called it “a disgrace” that Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries. Attacks are continui...
The U.S. has banned government employees working in Saudi Arabia from using airports in the country without special authorisation. It com...
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, vowing to carry out more attacks in the coming days.
The Saudi-led coalition said early Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
Ukraine is set to restart attacks on Russian oil refineries following a two-day pause, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, amid growing tensions with Washington over energy strikes and U.S. military support.
The U.S. has banned government employees working in Saudi Arabia from using airports in the country without special authorisation. It comes after a deadly Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed at least 13 people last week.
The U.S. has banned government employees working in Saudi Arabia from using airports in the country without special authorisation. It comes after a deadly Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed at least 13 people last week.
The Saudi-led coalition said early Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
Türkiye says talks with Washington are continuing over six F-35 fighter jets it purchased but never received, as Ankara pushes for the lifting of U.S. sanctions on its defence industry.
Uzbekistan's freight volumes along the Middle Corridor have doubled in five years, highlighting the growing importance of Azerbaijan and the Port of Baku as key links in its trade routes to Europe.
Kazakhstan is considering new rules governing the use of artificial intelligence in newsrooms, including requirements to label AI-generated content. The proposal was discussed at the tenth Astana Media Week, which also focused on digital threats and children's online safety.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment