Defense Ministry calls on EU to display impartial stance on Cyprus issue

ISTANBUL

Flags of Türkiye and Turkish Cyprus fly above a checkpoint leading to the UN buffer zone on the island.

The Turkish Defense Ministry has slammed a panel of the European Parliament for inviting the European Union to sponsor the construction of a monument which defames the Turkish military over the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation.

“We strongly reject the baseless allegations targeting the heroic Turkish Armed Forces and the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, which saved the Turkish Cypriot people from systematic attacks and massacres and brought peace and tranquility to the island,” read a statement from the Turkish Defense Ministry on Sept. 10.

The ministry’s reaction followed a recommendation by the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in late August to allocate funds for a monument project by Greek Cyprus from the EU’s 2027 budget.

On Sept. 3, the Turkish Foreign Ministry criticized the recommendation by the committee and urged the EU not to become an instrument of Greek Cyprus.

For its part, the Defense Ministry described the move as a new example of a biased approach aimed at distorting historical facts and targeting the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).

The EU and its institutions’ one-sided approach over the Cyprus problem and blind acceptance of the Greek Cypriot narrative at the expense of ignoring the systematic attacks against Turkish Cypriots between

1963 and 1974 are far from contributing to the resolution of the decades-old problem, the ministry stressed.

“We invite third parties to display a fair and impartial stance in light of historical facts,” it noted.

“The TSK have been continuing to be the guarantor of peace and stability on the island for over 50 years. Our determination to give the necessary response against any kind of hostile attitude targeting the security of the Turkish Cypriot people is absolute,” added the ministry.

‘One Army’ principle should uphold in Syria

The ministry also commented on the developments in Syria after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to dissolve and integrate its armed groups with the Syrian national army.

“The dissolution [of the SDF] and integration process, conducted within the scope of strengthening Syria’s territorial integrity and the concept of ‘one state, one army,’ is being closely monitored,” informed the ministry.

It underlined that handing over all the weapons and military vehicles to the Syrian army is a natural obligation of the integration process and “one army” principle and stressed that this development will contribute to the ongoing integration process.