Israel turns Greek-administered Cyprus into its logistics base: Turkish FM

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has raised alarms over escalating tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly highlighting threats emanating from Greek Cypriots.

Fidan said on Monday that they have been warning the European counterparts in the Greek Cypriot administration from the beginning about making southern Cyprus a centre, a base of operations against Gaza.

"When we raised this issue, they suddenly declared it a logistics base. Militarising it and concealing its use for operations in the Middle East will not benefit the Greek Cypriot and Greece," Fidan stated in an exclusive interview with local TV channel Haberturk.

"If you become a party to the ongoing wars in the Middle East, this fire will come and find you. Since we are in the same geography, it will find us too," Fidan warned.

Minister Fidan called on regional actors to recognise the seriousness of the situation and to prevent further militarisation in the region.

Risk of escalation

Turning to the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, Fidan said: "The Israeli system, led by the Netanyahu government, has a policy of using Hamas as an excuse to completely destroy the Palestinian resistance movement and to legitimise and institutionalise the occupation it has been continuing for years."

Fidan emphasised that after October 7, 2023, Israel revealed its "systematic war plan" to turn the events to its own advantage. He stressed that European states and the US did not stop Israel's policy; on the contrary, they supported it.

The two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, the cessation of war, and the issue of humanitarian aid are now "extremely important," he said.

The Gaza war is an "extremely important" issue in terms of the course of the current system in the world, since the vast majority sides with the Palestinians, Fidan said, adding the US and some European states do not support the two-state solution and do not react to Israel for "stealing someone else's land."

Pointing out that these countries should support the efforts of the Palestinians to establish a state, Fidan said in this way, Jews, Christians and Muslims can live in peace in the region.

He added that the world now faces the danger of the spread of the war and emphasised that this risk will continue "as long as Israel continues its genocide." Fidan also expressed concern about the risk of expansion of the war in the region.

"We are facing the threat, the danger of a major escalation of the war. This danger will continue as long as the Israeli genocide continues. Now Lebanon in particular is on the agenda. The actors in Lebanon threatening Cyprus is a precursor. There are ongoing operations in Syria," Fidan said, expressing concern that these conflicts could further complicate the fragile geopolitical landscape.

"It is assumed that Israel will attack Hezbollah in Lebanon, which it has classified as an enemy, after achieving its primarily military objectives against Hamas," he warned.