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Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said he would bring the issue before his EU counterparts at Monday\u2019s Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, linking Ankara\u2019s actions to questions over Turkey\u2019s European ambitions and the bloc\u2019s security.<\/p>\n
Kombos described the memorandum as a clear violation of international law and the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus.<\/p>\n
He said the agreement was part of a broader pattern of Turkish actions in the region.<\/p>\n
Kombos said Cyprus had recorded and reported 659 alleged violations of its airspace and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to the United Nations during July and August alone.<\/p>\n
He also highlighted Turkey\u2019s limited alignment with the European Union\u2019s Common Foreign and Security Policy, putting the figure at just 4 per cent.<\/p>\n
The minister questioned how Ankara\u2019s stated ambition to advance its EU membership process could be reconciled with its current foreign policy approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour per cent for a candidate country,\u201d Kombos said, emphasising the gap between Turkey\u2019s European aspirations and its alignment with the bloc\u2019s foreign policy positions.<\/p>\n
Kombos reiterated that Cyprus supports EU enlargement but argued that progress towards membership must depend on each candidate country\u2019s performance and its fulfilment of the relevant accession criteria.<\/p>\n
He warned that enlargement without sufficient scrutiny could undermine, rather than strengthen, the European Union\u2019s security and capabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe encourage Turkey to view its European path as an opportunity and not as a debt owed to it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The dispute adds another point of tension between Nicosia and Ankara, with Cyprus seeking to ensure that Turkey\u2019s actions in the Eastern Mediterranean are considered in wider EU discussions about enlargement, international law and regional security.<\/p>\n
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