Türkiye will take every measure to protect the interests and rights of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Defense Ministry sources said Thursday.
The statement came following claims that the U.S. would rent military bases on the Greek Cypriot side of the divided Mediterranean island, close to where U.S. ally Israel has been attacking the Gaza Strip and Lebanon for months now.
“We continue taking military and political measures to ensure the TRNC’s security against any attempt in violation of international law, such as a foreign state owning a base on the island,” the sources told a weekly press briefing in the capital, Ankara.
Türkiye is closely monitoring any development that may disrupt the balance on the island of Cyprus and pose a threat to the security of Turkish Cyprus, they said.
“As it has in the past, Türkiye will continue to take the necessary measures for the peace and prosperity of our country at all costs, per the Guarantee and Alliance Treaties,” the sources added.
Tensions flared on the island over the summer after the U.S. sent two warships to the Greek Cypriot administration.
The TRNC said the military cooperation between the U.S. and Greek Cyprus is intended to be used by the Greek Cypriot administration as an element of threat against it.
Turkish Cyprus was also outraged following reports that British and U.S. bases on the island support Israel’s attacks on Gaza, with President Ersin Tatar accusing the Greek Cypriot administration of endangering the island’s 50-year peace period by becoming a logistical base serving Western interests.
Britain has two bases in Cyprus, considered independent territories, allowing it to maintain a permanent military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and conduct highly confidential military and intelligence activities. The bases host an extensive network of British and U.S. intelligence facilities, according to Declassified U.K., which reports on the work of military and intelligence agencies.
Türkiye, too, has recently hit out at attempts by the Greek Cypriot administration to build a naval base on the southeastern coast in collaboration with Greece.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned Ankara would not shy away from constructing naval bases or other maritime structures in northern Cyprus if this proves “necessary.”
The island of Cyprus was split decades ago in Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power after a coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island, preceded by years of attacks and persecution by Greek Cypriots on Cypriot Turks, who had withdrawn into enclaves for their safety.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) entirely broke away from the south and declared independence in 1983 but is only recognized by Türkiye.
The island has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years. U.N.-backed reunification talks have been in limbo since the last round collapsed at Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in July 2017 between Türkiye, Greece and the U.K.
The Greek Cypriot administration joined the European Union in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted a U.N. plan to end the longstanding dispute.
An international embargo against Turkish Cyprus is currently in place in several areas, allowing access to international communications, postal services and transport only through Türkiye.
Turkish Cyprus has been committed to demanding a two-state solution that would ensure international recognition and equal sovereignty and status, something the Greek Cypriots reject out of hand.
Greek Cypriots wanted reunification to provide for a federation, which the Turkish side said was now impossible.