An undated photo of the Barak MX system. (Israel Aerospace Industries)
President of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar has warned of growing Israeli influence in the south of the Island, saying that Tel Aviv and Athens do not want him to remain in office.
“Tel Aviv and Athens don’t want to see me at the head of the country,” Tatar said in an interview with state-run Anadolu Agency on October 15.
“Because I stand firm against them together with Türkiye. I spoil their games. Why would they want me?” he added.
Rejecting any form of federation, Tatar said that fair and lasting solution in Cyprus can only come through the existence of two sovereign, equal states with confirmed international status.
“Greek Cypriots want all of Cyprus,” Tatar said.
“Federation means sitting at the table with Greek Cypriots and the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from here. Our people should never allow such a thing. All our survival depends on Türkiye’s presence here,” the president continued.
“It is not desirable for the federalists to win for short-term gain. In the end, I trust my people and they will make the right decision,” he added.
Tatar went on to say that “the Turkish Cypriot people must defend their state,” all while criticizing his rival in the elections set to be held on October 18.
“The Greek Cypriot press constantly publishes reports saying ‘Tatar will lose, Tufan Erhurman (Republican Turkish Party presidential candidate) will come and negotiations will begin,'” Tatar said.
“The reason for this is that Greek Cypriot Administration Leader Nikos Christodoulides wants to give his people the image that he has forced the Turkish leadership to negotiate. The other side was fed up with my firm stance,” he noted.
Tatar then warned of Israel’s growing presence in Southern Cyprus, claiming that “Israel is arming the Greek Cypriot Administration.”
“The Greek Cypriot Administration population is disturbed by the armament,” Tatar said, noting that “the armament by Greek Cypriots has exceeded what Christodoulides can handle.”
“Christodoulides has gotten involved in big affairs. With armament, he has put things in an impossible situation. A place whose economy is based on tourism and banking cannot sustain such large-scale armament,” he added.
Cyprus has been split along ethnic lines since 1974 when Turkey invaded the island in the wake of a coup that aimed to unify the island with Greece. Only Ankara recognizes a 1983 Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island’s northern third, where Turkey continues to maintain more than 35,000 troops.
In September, tensions flared up on the island with the delivery of Israeli-made Barak MX integrated air defense systems to Southern Cyprus.
This brought back to mind the crisis of 1997, when a plan to deploy Russian-made S-300 air defense systems in Southern Cyprus triggered a standoff with Turkey, which threatened military action. The tensions de-escalated with the systems transferred to Greece.
Following the recent delivery of Barak MX systems, Turkish defense officials warned, according to the Associated Press, that Southern Cyprus’s ongoing armament efforts would threaten peace and stability on the island and may lead to “dangerous consequences.”
The Barak MX is capable of dealing with all sorts of aerial targets, with a range up to 150 kilometers. Its deployment marked a significant upgrade to Cyprus’s defense shield, which had until recently only consisted of Soviet-era short and medium-range air defense systems.
The Israeli influence in Cyprus is indeed growing, and this does pose a serious challenge to Turkey. Despite this, Ankara will not likely escalate in any way. This is evident by its decision to ignore the deployment of Barak MX systems on the island.
Earlier this year, Turkey made an attempt to challenge Israel in Syria, and ended up taking a step back after a series of strikes on bases where it planned to deploy troops.
The upcoming elections in Cyprus could be decisive. The victory of Tatar will likely mean that the current situation will continue. His defeat could, however, open the way for a federation on the island, weakening Turkey’s stance.
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a small mediterrean island with no economy of importance but more troops than what br-eu-nato would scrap together for ukraine, and better air defense.
climbing into bed with israel is kin to diving into a pool of manure. no matter what you do, you can’t get rid of the stink. this is what turkey has done to itself by destroying syria for the zionist scum. turks must be the stupidest people in the middle east. erdo tells them lies and they keep him in power.
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