The government in Cyprus will lodge a complaint on what it described as “interference” with communications between air traffic control and aircraft carrying ministers from Greece, France, and the Netherlands on the part of the Turkish Cypriot authorities as the three aircraft approached Cyprus, presidential press office director Victor Papadopoulos said on Monday.
“The Republic of Cyprus will report all of this competently where appropriate,” he said, before adding that Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas would also inform the European Union’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas and his European counterparts of the alleged incident during Monday’s summit of EU defence ministers in Nicosia.
He said that the government was informed by the governments of France, Greece, and the Netherlands of “interference”, and that Turkish fighter jets were also “present … in the area” as the aircraft transporting Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias approached the island.
Asked whether the alleged incident could have been linked to the government’s signing of a status of forces agreement with France, which will allow for French troops to be stationed on the island, he remained coy, saying only that “it is an illegal action outside international law, which is condemnable”.
Turkish Cypriot air traffic controllers’ trade union leader Kursad Hudaverdioglu had earlier told the Cyprus Mail that the allegation constitutes “a completely politically motivated, misrepresentation of a news story”, and that “the matter has nothing to do with harassment”.
Regarding the accusation that fighter jets had also been present in the area as Dendias’ aircraft approached the island, he said that the jets “took off due to an emergency”, and that “they flew to the north of the island without violating any borders from the moment they took off”. [via Cyprusmail.com]
