The Cypriot government has not yet received an official explanation for the arrival of Turkish F-16 fighter jets in the occupied areas, expressing its disagreement with the move and stressing that the issue of foreign aid from EU countries is distinct from military actions.
Speaking to state broadcaster CyBC, Deputy Government Spokesperson Yiannis Antoniou noted that there had been reactions from the occupied areas regarding the presence of foreign forces in Cyprus, but stated that the government did not wish to give undue attention to these matters.
He added, “There is the occupation. We will always condemn it. The Republic of Cyprus, as the only legitimate state, seeks help from other European countries. Therefore, anything that moves in the occupied part of the Republic of Cyprus, where our authorities have no control, is something with which we do not agree.”
Antoniou also expressed the government’s desire to avoid escalating tensions. “Turkey did not come here as a guarantor power. We do not want to send the wrong messages,” he stressed.
“The President of the Republic, aiming to secure the most important issue, which is the safety of citizens and critical state infrastructure, requested assistance from EU countries to address regional risks,” he continued.
“These forces are here on a preventive basis, for a specific purpose. The Cypriot government has requested their help. It is wrong to compare two completely different things,” he said, referring to the Turkish F-16s.
“We want to ensure a sense of security for the people. They should continue their daily lives. We had a difficult week before. We had to manage an attack on our territory, at the British Bases. It was something that worried us, and for this reason, the government took steps to enhance its defensive and deterrent capacity. To ensure security,” Antoniou emphasized.
“We didn’t know until last Sunday how far the threats could reach. We can tell the people honestly that we have done everything humanly possible for them to sleep safely, to go to work safely, and to send their children to school safely,” he concluded.
