Ustel slams ‘extremely dangerous’ plan to deploy French troops to Cyprus

Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel on Monday said that plans for a status of forces agreement to be signed to allow for French troops to be stationed in Cyprus is “extremely dangerous, provocative, and an unacceptable step”.

He said the plans “are likely to seriously damage the atmosphere of peace and tranquillity on the island”, and that President Nikos Christodoulides and “people of his mindset” speak “on the one hand … of a new negotiation process, while on the other ignoring and disregarding the Turkish Cypriot people”.

“This contradictory stance clearly reveals his true intentions,” he said.

He then added that “any military presence or action in Cyprus requires the consent and approval of the Turkish Cypriot people”, and that “any action taken without this approval is null and void under international law”.

To this end, he described the statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to the island last week as “arrogant”.

“France, known for its exploitative approach to almost every country it enters, can only offer the Greek Cypriots great disappointment in the long run,” he added, before saying that “France, as an EU member state, poses one of the biggest obstacles to a fair and lasting solution in Cyprus with its attempts to deploy troops to the island”.

This, he said, is also “a clear indication of the European Union’s hypocritical policy” towards Cyprus.

“No member state of the European Union can take decisions or engage in actions which disregard the sovereignty rights and security of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” he said.

He added that “the Turkish Cypriot people will continue to operate the institutions of their own state on the basis of peace, security, and justice, while remaining within the framework of international law”.

“What is expected from Macron and from the EU is that they abandon their colonial mindset regarding the Cyprus issue and adopt a fair stance,” he said, before warning that “steps taken, and those intended to be taken, which disregard the Turkish Cypriots will inevitably receive the necessary response”.

He then said he wished to issue “a clear warning to Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides”.

“You are transforming southern Cyprus into a base for foreign soldiers and a sphere of influence for foreign powers. The consequences of this policy will neither benefit you, nor the Greek Cypriot people. My advice is to abandon these dangerous steps, which will jeopardise your future, as soon as possible,” he said.

“Otherwise, you will be the one who loses again.”

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis had earlier in the day announced that Cyprus is set to sign a status of forces agreement with France, with Christodoulides saying that negotiations have entered a “formal phase”.

The agreement, he said, will “provide for the presence of French forces on Cypriot territory for humanitarian purposes”.

Macron had spoken at length on the matter of defence during his visit to Cyprus, saying that the mass deployment of European military hardware in and around Cyprus after the island was hit by an Iranian-made drone last month, “constituted a reaffirmation of our determination to secure Europe’s space”.

“I said it in a simple way on March 9, that when Cyprus was attacked, it was Europe which was attacked,” he said.

As such, he said, “we therefore reinforced defence capabilities in the region with the deployment of military assets, in particular with the French carrier strike group” belonging to the aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle, which has been in the region since last month.

“This support and this concrete manifestation of the solidarity which links us as members of the European Union, and in terms of relations between France and Cyprus, was bolstered in December in the form of the strategic partnership,” he said, referring to the deal he had signed with Christodoulides in Paris five months ago.