Dendias: Cyprus can now feel safe

Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said that Cyprus “can now feel safe from Iranian fire” after his country deployed two frigates and four fighter jets to the island in the aftermath of it being hit by an Iranian-made drone.

“Greece is fully protected from possible fire amid the crisis in the Middle East, while Cyprus can now feel safe from Iranian fire, following the dispatch of Greek forces to the island who rushed to protect the Cypriot people,” he told Greece’s Alpha TV.

He added that the frigate Kimon, described by his Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday as the “pride of the Greek fleet”, is “fully equipped and prepared for a potential crisis”, but stressed that as of yet, “it has not … taken part in operations”.

The ship, he said, is nonetheless “completely ready”, even though it has “not been fully operationally integrated” into Greece’s naval fleet.

“If it operates with the fleet, it will have difficulty communicating, but in emergency circumstances, we can do it faster,” he said.

Asked about Turkey’s presence in the region, and in Cyprus, he said that “Turkey understands the need that Greece has to defend its territory”.

“The presence of Greek planes and ships is to protect the entire population of Cyprus. We offer a comprehensive service,” he said.

He added that he had “no contact” with his Turkish counterpart Yasar Guler prior to the deployment of the frigates and the fighter jets earlier in the week, and that he is unaware of whether Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan discussed the matter.

On Wednesday, Turkey’s defence ministry had indicated that it may be bolstering its own military presence in Cyprus, posting a photograph of Turkish soldiers arriving at the north’s Ercan (Tymbou) airport to social media.

Meanwhile, Mitsotakis had told Greece’s parliament that “our attention is on Cyprus, which is much closer to the warzone than Greece”.

“Greece is present with strength where national duty calls for it, and places the upgraded armed forces at the service of universal Hellenism,” he said.

He added that Greece’s “mission” is both “defensive and peaceful”, and that “the aim is to prevent threatening actions against the independent state of Cyprus”.

Later on Wednesday, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides later thanked Mitsotakis for what he described as “the immediate and decisive response” to the incident.

“In this difficult juncture in our region, Greece has declared its presence and confirmed in practice that it stands firmly alongside the Republic of Cyprus, with a sense of responsibility and strategic composure,” he said.