Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman issued strong criticism of Israel and regional security developments on Tuesday, saying he does not trust “any government that kills children” while lambasting the Republic’s military and diplomatic alignments in the Levant that exclude Turkish Cypriots and Turkey.

His comments, during an interview with Turkish broadcaster Haber, focused on what he described as increasing regional tensions due to the republic’s foreign policy direction and defence cooperation with international partners.

Erhurman said he was concerned by the expansion of military activity at facilities including the use of Andreas Papandreou Air Base, as well as cooperation agreements involving Israel, the United States and France.

He linked these concerns to wider instability in the Levant, referencing previous evacuation operations carried out under the Estia plan during conflicts in the Middle East.

“The fact that Paphos may be at risk does not mean that Turkish Cypriots in Nicosia or Lefke are not at risk,” he added.

He also criticised efforts by the republic to expand diplomatic and economic relations with countries including India and Israel, arguing that regional trade routes and cooperation frameworks that exclude Turkey and Turkish Cypriots would not be viable.

“It is impossible for a trade route that excludes Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots to be functional in this region,” he said.

Erhurman said that the north was acting in coordination with Ankara on regional and Cyprus related policy, stating that alignment with Turkey remained central to decision making.

“It is out of the question to determine a position on the Cyprus issue without consulting Turkey,” he insisted, adding that any agreement should be based on dialogue rather than unilateral action.

He also referred to reports and public debate within the government-controlled areas regarding recent property acquisition by Israeli property developers, saying that while definitive data was not available, there appeared to be “serious unrest” within segments of the Greek Cypriot public.

The interview also included direct criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Erhurman stating “I cannot trust or show respect to any government that kills children.”