Turkey Allegedly Tried to Disrupt European Defense Ministers’ Planes Ahead of Cyprus Deal
A rare incident occurred yesterday in European airspace. According to a report on Politico, the defense ministers of Greece, France and the Netherlands said Turkey tried to disrupt their planes en route to a European Union meeting in Cyprus. The government in Cyprus added that it would file formal complaints over the incidents. "We received notification from the defense ministers of Greece, the Netherlands and France that during their visit to Cyprus, the aircraft on which they were traveling experienced interference from the illegal Tymbou airport," said Victor Papadopoulos, spokesman for the president of Cyprus, in a statement on Monday.
"The defense minister will today inform the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, and will also inform the European Council during its deliberations," he added.
According to the report, radio communications with the aircraft were disrupted by controllers at Ercan Airport on the Turkish side of Cyprus, Greek and Cypriot sources told Politico. In addition, two Turkish F-16 fighter jets took off and tracked at least one of the planes carrying the European ministers as they approached Cyprus, while keeping their distance, the sources said.
Turkey denied the incident, saying the F-16s "took off due to an emergency" and "flew over the northern part of the island without violating any borders from the moment they took off." It did not say what the emergency was.
Cyprus has been divided into a Turkish Cypriot north and a Greek Cypriot south since 1974. Ankara does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, which is an EU member and is internationally recognized as the sole sovereign authority over the entire island. The Turkish Cypriot north is recognized only by Ankara.
The flight disruptions occurred on the aircraft of the French defense minister, who was on her way to sign a defense agreement between France and Cyprus. The agreement sets out rules for security cooperation and defines the conditions under which French forces may be deployed, train and operate in Cyprus while respecting its national sovereignty. The agreement will include military coordination and interoperability, technological and defense industry ties, military exercises and personnel exchanges between the territories. The Turkish Cypriot administration fears the agreement will change the balance of power on the island, and declared it void shortly after it was announced in April.
