Kasoulides: Turkey in a state of insanity

Ankara’s policy toward its neighbours can only be described as being driven by ‘insanity’, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said on Monday following talks in Athens with his Greek counterpart.

The remarks came during a joint news conference given by Kasoulides and Greek FM Nikos Dendias. Cyprus’ top diplomat flew to Athens to discuss ways of coordinating a response to growing Turkish bellicosity in the eastern Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean. The two men also discussed Ankara’s attempts to upgrade the status of the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’.

“Turkey is in a state of insanity in relation to its revisionist policy,” Kasoulides stated.

He said Ankara is “throwing all its weight behind promoting the upgrade of the secessionist entity of the occupied areas [in Cyprus], which only Turkey recognises.”

A summit of Turkic-speaking countries will be held this coming Friday where, Kasoulides warned, an effort is underway to grant observer status to the north of Cyprus.

The foreign minister called this a “serious matter” which both Cyprus and Greece are acting diplomatically “on multiple levels” to avert.

“It appears they are trying to amend the charter so that it [the summit] admits entities to participate as observers, not just states and international organisations. It is an attempt by Turkey to overcome the resistance by other Turkic-speaking states regarding acceptance of a non-recognised state as an observer.”

On a similar track, recalled Kasoulides, the north of Cyprus has formally requested that it enter into a separate status of forces agreement (SoFA) with the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus.

“There is also an attempt to open offices of the pseudo-state [the north of Cyprus] in various European capitals.”

At the same time, Turkey intends to open up additional areas in Varosha – the fenced-off part of Famagusta.

Kasoulides also referred to Ankara’s forays in the Mediterranean. He mentioned the Abdulhamid Han – a Turkey-flagged deepwater drillship – which “for the moment is drilling for gas in a space of purely Turkish maritime jurisdiction…but tomorrow we shall see what its next stop will be.”

The diplomat said Nicosia and Athens are working to deter adverse developments on all these fronts.

For his part, Dendias reiterated Greece’s support for a political solution on Cyprus based on UN Security Council resolutions and the EU acquis.

Noting that Greece remains undaunted by Turkey’s provocations in the region, he said Athens continues to highlight to partners the “irrationality and illegality of Turkish provocations.”

The Greek diplomat stressed that any attempt by Turkey to create a fait accompli, either in Greece or Cyprus, should elicit a reaction from the European Union.

Ankara has recently accused Athens of arming the demilitarised Aegean islands – something Athens rejects.

The two ministers additionally discussed developments in the broader region. On the plus side, they noted the recent agreement between Lebanon and Israel demarcating their respective maritime zones, despite the fact that they are enemy states.