Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday warned of a “very harsh” response to any action threatening Turkey or Turkish Cypriots in the eastern Mediterranean, two days after France and Cyprus signed an agreement governing the presence of French forces on the island.
“We are now witnessing an attempt to ignite a fire of discord in the Mediterranean, particularly on the island of Cyprus, and we are following developments very closely,” Erdoğan told lawmakers from his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
“Let no one pursue adventures,” he said. “If the rights and laws of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots are targeted in the eastern Mediterranean, I want it to be known that our response will be very clear and very harsh.”
Erdoğan did not name France in the warning but accused unnamed regional actors of supporting Israel and pursuing what he described as unrealistic ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean.
France and the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus signed a Status of Forces Agreement on Monday that establishes the legal framework for the presence and activities of French military personnel in Cyprus and Cypriot personnel in France.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said the agreement would deepen bilateral defense cooperation and contribute to the European Union’s efforts to strengthen its defense capacity.
French President Emmanuel Macron said during a visit to the island in April that the two countries were creating a framework to host French forces for humanitarian operations in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded the island’s northern third following an Athens-backed coup aimed at uniting Cyprus with Greece.
The internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus, an EU member, controls the island’s predominantly Greek Cypriot south.
The Turkish Cypriot administration in the north, which calls itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, is recognized only by Turkey.
Turkish Cypriot officials have criticized the agreement, saying it could upset the military balance on the island and in the eastern Mediterranean.
© Agence France-Presse