Turkey provokes anew with plans for a naval base in occupied northern Cyprus

Turkish newspaper Milliyet has reported that a team of military experts from Turkey are in occupied northern Cyprus, exploring options for the establishment of a naval base.

The provocative announcement follows the recent decision by the Turkish-Cypriot administration to give the “greenlight” for the operation of Turkey’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) from the airport at Lefkoniko in the occupied north for missions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

President Erdogan continues to provoke the international community with this new move, after recently signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Libya on maritime borders at the expense of Greece and Cyprus. The MoU has been largely condemned by the international community including the European Union and the US, with Greece seeking UN support and arbitration on the legality of the agreement.

According to the Milliyet news report, Turkish plans include the establishment of new military camps and naval base in occupied northern Cyprus, but not a weapons storage facilities.

The initiative by Turkey has been described by Milliyet as yet “another step by Turkey in protecting its interests in the region”.

There have been no official responses as of yet from the Greek or Cypriot governments to this latest provocation.