Opposition party AKEL has warned that the government’s military cooperation with the United States and Israel poses risks to national security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The left-wing party criticised recent statements by Cyprus’ Defence Minister regarding military ties with Israel, calling them “dangerous illusions” that raise questions about the role the Christodoulides government envisions for Israel.
The criticism follows the minister’s recent remarks that “Israelis can reach Cyprus in three minutes, while support from Greece requires more time,” according to an AKEL statement released on Tuesday.
The party expressed concern about Cyprus’ growing defence relationship with the United States, including American involvement in upgrading the Andreas Papandreou air base and the Evangelos Florakis naval base.
AKEL said these developments, along with the government’s advertised approach towards NATO, constitute an involvement in the militarisation of the Eastern Mediterranean that “adds risks and threats to our homeland and people’s security.”
The party emphasised that the country’s infrastructure and defence capabilities should serve Cyprus’s interests rather than “foreign powers and foreign interests.”
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