ANKARA — Turkey pushed back on Thursday against France’s plan to deploy troops to Cyprus, warning it risks destabilizing the island and upsetting the existing security balance.
Turkey warns of escalation: “Such moves risk upsetting the existing delicate balance and heightening tensions on the island,” a Turkish Defense Ministry official told journalists in Ankara at a press briefing.
The statement came in response to Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides saying on Sunday that France would be able to deploy troops to the Republic of Cyprus.
“We reiterate that these initiatives could also pose future security risks for the Greek Cypriot Administration and that steps that could undermine regional stability should be avoided,” the official said.
Cyprus remains divided between the EU-member Republic of Cyprus and the breakaway north, recognized only by Ankara since Turkey’s 1974 intervention following a Greek-backed coup.
Turkey, Greece and Britain remain guarantor powers under the island’s post-independence arrangements. Turkey maintains an estimated 50,000 troops in the north.
Britain also maintains an estimated 4,000 permanent troops on the island on its sovereign bases, while Greece’s presence is limited to a long-standing contingent of roughly 1,000.
The Turkish official added that the concrete security need for France to deploy troops remains unclear.
Background: Christodoulides said on Sunday that his country and France finalized negotiations over a Status of Forces Agreement that will enable Paris to deploy troops on the divided island. He added that in June, the two countries are expected to sign the agreement, which provides a legal framework allowing French forces to be temporarily stationed on the island, conduct joint training and exercises and access military facilities for logistical support and transit.
The Greek Cypriot president described the potential troop deployment as “exclusively for humanitarian purposes” without elaborating.
On March 2, an Iranian-made Shahed-type drone struck a British Royal Air Force base in southern Cyprus amid a wave of Iranian attacks across the region.
While no group claimed responsibility, Cypriot and Western officials attributed the drone attack to the Lebanon-based, Iran-linked militant group Hezbollah.
While French aircraft have occasionally used the RAF base for regional logistics in the past, the post-March 2 deployment marks Paris’ first move toward a formalized military presence on the island. Following the strike, Paris began deploying specialized anti-drone and anti-missile units to the island.
Paris dispatched the Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean region immediately following the drone attack on March 2.
Defense cooperation between the Greek Cypriot government, France and Greece has expanded since then. Last week, Paris and Athens signed an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership deal that effectively links Greek security with a new French military footprint in Cyprus.
Why it matters: A French deployment to Cyprus, where Turkey also maintains an estimated 50,000 troops in the north, risks inflaming tensions among NATO capitals as European member states strive to present a unified front amid the Iran and Ukraine wars.
Greece, Turkey’s NATO ally but longtime rival over territorial disputes, has also deepened cooperation with Israel in recent months, further fueling Ankara’s concerns about encirclement in the region.
Adding to tensions earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron commented on Tuesday that there should be “no room for doubt” about France’s commitment to back Greece against “any threats,” widely interpreted in Ankara as a veiled reference to Turkey.
The Turkish official speaking on Thursday said that statements by NATO members France and Greece based on “certain scenarios” were increasing tensions and risking harm to regional peace and stability.
“We remind that any military alliance being formed in our region against Turkey has no chance of success,” the official said.