Cypriot member of the European Parliament Costas Mavrides on Thursday called on the European Union to adapt its defence capabilities so as to be able to protect itself against drone warfare.

“Geopolitical developments, technology, and the experience of Ukraine make the use of drones the defining tool in the modern warfare of hybrid attacks and conflicts,” he told the Strasbourg chamber.

To this end, he called for Europe to strengthen its defence industry and bolster its “independence from external factors”.

“European small and medium-sized businesses are already involved in this sector, and I know for sure that in my country, Cyprus, this is happening, but we need to strengthen it by simplifying processes, facilitating financing, and cooperation between large and small businesses from different member states,” he said.

He spoke of “recent hostile attacks against member states with drones”, referencing incursions of unarmed Russian drones into Polish airspace – all of which were shot down – in September last year, as well as actions by “occupying Turkey in Cyprus”, and said that those incidents “demonstrated our weakness”.

This, he said, “requires the immediate adaptation of the European defence industry to protect our borders and our citizens”.

His reference to Turkey is likely related to the presence of a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicle in the skies above Cyprus during heightened tensions between Iran and Israel last summer.

Additionally, Turkish Cypriot air traffic controllers’ trade union chairman Cem Kapisiz has previously said that the Gecitkale (Lefkoniko) airport on the Mesaoria plain is being used by unarmed aircraft which operate in the region for “surveillance purposes”.

Gecitkale (Lefkoniko) was formally handed over to Turkey’s armed forces in January 2024, having been used for military purposes since 2019.

The airport had seen regular passenger traffic as the north’s primary civilian airport between 2002 and 2004 while Ercan (Tymbou) airport underwent renovations but had largely remained unused save for recreational aircraft.

Previously, Turkey had briefly stationed six F-16 fighter jets at the airport in 1998 in response to Greece’s positioning of four F-16s and two Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft at Paphos airport amid rising tensions between the two countries.

The airport had been leased to late Polly Peck and Kibris Media Group owner Asil Nadir between 2010 and 2023. He had harboured ambitions of transforming it into a VIP and charter hub, but the north’s ruling coalition terminated its contract with him prior to the 2024 handover.