Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Monday pilloried Nicosia for actions he said put the entire island’s security at risk amid rising tensions in the Middle East, even accusing President Nikos Christodoulides of “placing his personal reputation” above all else.

In a statement, Tatar said the island of Cyprus as a whole should maintain its neutrality, but the policies pursued by the Republic of Cyprus are producing the opposite effect.

“At this stage, South Cyprus has become a military stopover point for countries which show at every opportunity they are party to the crisis and that they are complicit in the crimes against humanity being committed, and it has even started to use its civilian ports for military purposes,” said the Turkish Cypriot leader.

He was referring to the ongoing conflict in Gaza but also the docking last week in Limassol of an American amphibious assault ship, the USS Wasp, amid fears of a major flare-up between Israel and Hezbollah.

Tatar said he was concerned with “the irresponsible steps the Greek Cypriot Administration is continuing to take, which have the potential to turn the island of Cyprus into a target.”

According to Tatar, “the Greek Cypriot leadership does not have the authority to take steps or make decisions on issues which have the potential to impact the entire island.”

He went on to address “the relevant states” by conveying to them that “the engagements into which you have entered with the Greek Cypriot side are not and will not be valid for the entire island. The authority and sovereignty of the Greek Cypriot Administration is valid only in South Cyprus and cannot extend even a centimetre into the borders of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.”

For its part, Nicosia insists that the comings and goings of ships have to do with humanitarian operations in the region.

Over the weekend, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said Cyprus has a duty to assist in the evacuation of third-country nationals from the region, should the need arise.

Regarding the USS Wasp, Palmas said its arrival was purely to aid with potential evacuations via Limassol should the situation in neighbouring Lebanon deteriorate.

“We emphasised that the presence of troops in the Republic of Cyprus, whether they are American, Canadian, German, or French, has to do with the efforts made by those countries, through Cyprus, which is a friendly country and ally, to facilitate and help their own citizens in a possible evacuation of Lebanon.”

The government is also taking flak from opposition party Akel, who said the arrival of the vessel makes “our country part of the problem”.

US ambassador to Cyprus Julie Fisher has said the arrival of the USS Wasp was part a pre-scheduled visit, but the ship could be used to support civilians should major hostilities break out in the Middle East.

According to a US State Department paper dating to April 2022, an estimated 86,000 US citizens reside in Lebanon.

Israel and Hezbollah meanwhile continued trading fire across the border.

Iran has pledged to exact “harsh punishment” on Israel for the July 31 assassination in Tehran of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its role in the killing.

Israel is also awaiting a response from Hezbollah, whose top military commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut, hours before the blast that killed Haniyeh. Israel said Shukr was responsible for the July 27 missile attack that killed 12 children in the Golan Heights.

Meantime on Monday Lufthansa and Swiss Air extended their suspension of flights to and from Beirut and Tel Aviv through August 21. Lufthansa said it will not be using Iranian and Iraqi airspace during that period.