NICOSIA – Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman, in an interview with the Turkish channel A Haber, claimed that President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides has abandoned the “more balanced” policy of previous Greek Cypriot governments and is leading Cyprus into a dangerous dependence on the United States, Israel, France, and Greece.
Erhürman argued that “since Mr. Christodoulides took office, he has in fact moved away from the previous Greek Cypriot foreign policy, which was more balanced, and has shaped a specific position for himself.” He said that Christodoulides had adopted an approach according to which “the more we involve these big brothers – I say this in quotation marks – the fewer concerns we will have toward Turkey.”
The Turkish Cypriot leader said that in his meetings with Christodoulides he was “constantly trying to explain that this is a futile effort and that it will not create a balance against Turkey. On the contrary, it will put him at risk, force him to compromise his own will, and make him dependent on them.”
He further claimed that the Greek Cypriot side is attempting to join new geopolitical blocs, referring to military agreements with the United States, Israel, France, and India. He connected these developments with plans for the India-Europe trade corridor, arguing that Nicosia is trying to secure a role in that route while excluding Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.
He even cited an earlier statement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that “a trade route excluding Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots cannot be functional in this region.”
Erhürman claimed that the President of Cyprus “is clearly showing an effort to enter into certain alliances that continuously exclude the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey in military matters, maritime jurisdiction zones, energy, and trade corridors.”
“This,” he argued, “is already wrong from the standpoint of legal status. Because on this island there are Turkish Cypriots, who are one of the two equal founding partners. The Republic of Turkey has the status of guarantor power on this island, and it has that status for the whole island, not only for the north but for all of Cyprus. Every day that you try to exclude both us and the Republic of Turkey, you actually endanger your own ability to benefit from hydrocarbons. With the agreements you make concerning maritime jurisdiction zones, you continuously increase tension in this region.”
Erhürman also claimed that the Greek Cypriot side is turning the Andreas Papandreou air base in Paphos into a center for military cooperation with Israel and Western countries, arguing that this “endangers the security of the entire island” and that the initiative is being implemented “without any will from the Turkish Cypriots,” just as with the agreements concerning rights to use the base.
“What is unfair,” Erhürman said, “is that while legally you should in fact obtain our consent, you do not do so; that is, you do not make us participants in decision-making, but you do make us participants in the risk.”
He also claimed that after the Iranian missile attack, evacuations were carried out only in the Paphos area, which, he alleged, created the impression that the specific base was under threat.
Erhürman also referred to relations between Israel and the Republic of Cyprus, saying that there is “growing concern even among Greek Cypriots about Israeli investments and property purchases in South Cyprus.”
He claimed there have been reactions to the purchase of villages and land by Israeli businessmen, while also attacking the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, stating that he cannot “respect or trust” a leadership which, as he said, makes decisions leading to the deaths of children.”