By sending six F-16 fighter jets to the occupied territories of Cyprus , Turkey is attempting to make its presence felt in the climate created by the visit that French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis are making to Paphos today, for a trilateral meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides .
According to a statement by Askin Meseli , who serves as head of the pseudo-state’s so-called “civil aviation service”, on Monday morning Ankara plans to send the six fighter jets to the occupied northern part of the island, citing reasons for enhancing security due to the escalation of the war between the United States , Israel and Iran in the wider region.
This decision was announced on the same day that the three leaders are traveling to Paphos , and specifically to the “Andreas Papandreou” air base, where Greek fighter jets are already located, in the context of support for the Republic of Cyprus.
Sources from the Turkish Ministry of National Defense, cited by Turkish media, report that the dispatch of the fighter jets was already being considered as early as Saturday, as a measure to safeguard Ankara’s interests in Cyprus , in light of the latest developments in the Middle East.
For its part, the Greek government is closely monitoring Ankara’s movements, believing that Turkey is attempting to exploit the geopolitical instability in the region in order to strengthen and perpetuate its military presence in the occupied part of the island.
Athens considers this action a violation of international law and an attempt to create a fait accompli , at a time when tension in the Eastern Mediterranean is already at high levels.
The trilateral meeting in Paphos is taking place in a particularly charged atmosphere, a few days after the attack on the British air base in Akrotiri on March 2 by an unmanned aircraft of Iranian origin .
Although there were no casualties or serious damage to the facilities, the incident caused strong international concern, with the United Kingdom confirming that two drones heading towards its Cypriot bases were intercepted in time.
Meanwhile, the presence of the three leaders in Cyprus is expected to send a strong political and strategic message of support to Nicosia , while the talks will address security issues in the Eastern Mediterranean, the protection of navigation, and coordination for the repatriation of European citizens from areas where armed conflicts are ongoing.
