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Senior Turkish officials are warning that Ankara will turn its full diplomatic and military attention to the Aegean Sea and Cyprus once the conflict involving Iran concludes.<\/p>\n
More specifically, a senior Turkish diplomat told Kathimerini that Greek Patriot missile systems recently deployed to Karpathos and the Evros region, along with a permanent fighter aircraft presence on Limnos, are among the core issues Ankara intends to address. Turkey will demand a return to the pre-conflict status quo and \u201cwill not accept faits accomplis,\u201d the diplomat said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as developments with the war and the Iran negotiations are over, all the attention of our defense and foreign ministries will turn to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean,\u201d the diplomat told Kathimerini, warning that recent moves in the islands and Cyprus \u201cwill be examined carefully and their reversal will be sought.\u201d<\/p>\n
A senior official of Turkey\u2019s ruling AKP party went further, suggesting that \u201cthe next conflict in the region may be in Cyprus,\u201d citing what he described as an \u201cintolerable\u201d Israeli and French military presence on the island.<\/p>\n
He alleged Israel seeks to shift confrontation there, believing it holds advantages in an aerial and naval engagement.<\/p>\n
Another diplomat raised the possibility that, should Greek Cypriots fail to seize a new opportunity for reunification talks, Ankara and Turkish-Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman could consider making northern Cyprus Turkey\u2019s \u201c82nd city\u201d \u2013 a step Turkey deliberately avoided in 1983 but which officials now suggest cannot be ruled out given changed circumstances.<\/p>\n
Turkish media close to the government have characterized Cyprus as an \u201cadvanced military outpost,\u201d pointing to French defense agreements, Israeli air defense systems and British base activity as evidence of a coordinated geopolitical buildup against Turkish interests.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n