Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Sunday said it would be “unforgivable” for Greece to turn its back on Cyprus “at such a difficult time”, after deploying four fighter jets and two frigates to the island following a drone strike on its British Akrotiri air force base.
“It would be historically and nationally unforgivable, at such a difficult time, for Greece to turn its back on Cyprus. When we say that we stand by Cyprus, we must mean it, and not waste ourselves on wishful thinking,” he told newspaper To Vima.
To this end, he added that “rapid practical defence support for the Republic of Cyprus is a national obligation” for Greece, and that with the deployment of the fighter jets and the frigates, “we have proven in practice that Cyprus does not ‘lie far away’”, and that instead, “Cyprus lies nearby”.
“The mission of the four F-16 fighter jets and the most modern frigate of our navy, the Kimon, as well as the second frigate, Psara, which also carries the Centauros [anti-drone] system, aims solely and exclusively to protect the Republic of Cyprus,” he said.
As such, he said, “we are raising a protective shield over Cyprus, which can now feel safe”.
“I pledge that Greece will stand firmly by the side of the Republic of Cyprus and its legal residents throughout the crisis, contributing every available means to its defence and the security of its residents,” he said.
He added that Greece’s swift response last Monday “acted as a catalyst for the activation of reflexes at the European level”, with fellow European Union members France, Germany, Spain, and Italy all having deployed military assets to Cyprus in recent days.
“The Greek initiative highlights the importance of European solidarity,” he said.
Asked about the procedure regarding the deployment of Greek assets to the island. He said that his Cypriot counterpart Vasilis Palmas had requested their deployment, and that “I responded positively, without a second thought”.
He was then asked about contact between Greece and Turkey with regard to Cyprus in recent days, with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan having spoken last week, and a delegation from the Greek air force having been invited to Turkey as a “confidence-building measure” following the announcement of the Greek F-16s’ deployment.
“I think Turkey understands the need to protect the legal residents of Cyprus from unprovoked attacks by Iran. I am not referring only to Greek Cypriots. We are currently protecting the legal residents of the island. We are very proud of this, and we consider it our obligation. The presence of Greek planes and Greek ships serves this European and Greek duty,” he said.
Since then, Turkey has announced that it will deploy six F-16s of its own to Cyprus, with the aircraft set to arrive at the north’s Ercan (Tymbou) airport on Monday morning.
