Turkey warns of post-Iran pivot to Aegean and Cyprus

Senior Turkish officials are warning that Ankara will turn its afloat diplomatic and subject attraction to the Aegean Sea and Cyprus erstwhile the struggle involving Iran concludes.

More specifically, a elder Turkish diplomat told Kathimerini that Greek Patriot rocket systems precocious deployed to Karpathos and the Evros region, on with a imperishable combatant craft beingness connected Limnos, are among the halfway issues Ankara intends to address. Turkey will request a instrumentality to the pre-conflict status quo and “will not judge faits accomplis,” the diplomat said.

“As σύντομα arsenic developments with the war and the Iran negotiations are over, each the attraction of our defence and overseas ministries will turn to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean,” the diplomat told Kathimerini, warning that caller moves successful the islands and Cyprus “will beryllium examined cautiously and their reversal will beryllium sought.”

A elder authoritative of Turkey’s ruling AKP enactment went further, suggesting that “the adjacent struggle successful the portion whitethorn beryllium successful Cyprus,” citing what helium described arsenic an “intolerable” Israeli and French subject beingness connected the island.

He alleged Israel seeks to displacement confrontation there, believing it holds advantages successful an aerial and naval engagement.

Another diplomat raised the anticipation that, should Greek Cypriots neglect to prehend a caller accidental for reunification talks, Ankara and Turkish-Cypriot person Tufan Erhurman could see making bluish Cyprus Turkey’s “82nd city” – a step Turkey deliberately avoided successful 1983 but which officials present suggest cannot beryllium ruled retired fixed changed circumstances.

Turkish media adjacent to the authorities person characterized Cyprus arsenic an “advanced subject outpost,” pointing to French defence agreements, Israeli aerial defence systems and British basal enactment arsenic grounds of a coordinated geopolitical buildup against Turkish interests.