Thu 27 August 2020:
The temporary or continuous deployment of French military jets to the Greek Cypriot administration under the pretext of a drill held with the participation of Greece and Italy is against the 1960 Agreements on Cyprus, Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said early Thursday.
“France, which is not a guarantor state for the island of Cyprus, encouraged the Greek Cypriot-Greek duo, responsible for existing tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, to raise tensions further in a dangerous manner,” the statement said.
All initiatives aimed at excluding Turkey and Cypriot Turks will end in vain, it added.
Previously the prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Ersin Tatar blasted the upcoming joint military drill being conducted by Greece, France and Italy in the Mediterranean as “against the international law.”
“This drill is wrong, and it is against international law. Where is Italy, where is France geographically? How can they come here and attend a drill and claim rights?” he asked.
The drill is scheduled to begin on Wednesday and continue until Friday.
Greece has disputed Turkey’s current energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean, trying to box in Turkish maritime territory, based on small islands near the Turkish coast.
Turkey, the country with the longest coastline on the Mediterranean, has sent out drillships to explore for hydrocarbon energy on its continental shelf. It maintains that both Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have rights to the region’s energy resources.
