Turkish Forces Accused of Interfering with EU Defence Ministers’ Flights to Cyprus; Ankara Denies Harassment

NICOSIA — Aircraft carrying defence ministers from Greece, France, and the Netherlands were reportedly subjected to radio interference and shadowed by Turkish F-16 jets as they approached Cyprus on Sunday for an informal EU Defence Council meeting, according to Cypriot authorities. Turkey has strongly denied any harassment, stating its aircraft operated within what it considers the airspace of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

The incident occurred as the ministers flew to Nicosia for talks hosted under Cyprus’s rotating EU Council presidency. Cypriot officials described communications disruptions originating from the illegal Tymbou (Ercan) airport in the Turkish-occupied north, followed by Turkish fighter jets scrambling and monitoring the aircraft from a distance.

Victor Papadopoulos, director of the Cypriot presidential press office, said the government would lodge formal complaints through appropriate channels. “We have been informed by the defence ministers of Greece, the Netherlands and France that during their visit to Cyprus, the aircraft they were on received interference,” he stated.

Turkey’s Response

Turkish officials rejected the accusations as “completely false” and politically motivated. A statement from the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate said the F-16s took off as a precaution after some aircraft allegedly breached the airspace of the north, which Turkey recognizes as the TRNC. It emphasized that the jets did not enter the Republic of Cyprus’s airspace and that no harassment occurred.

Kursad Hudaverdioglu, head of the Turkish Cypriot air traffic controllers’ trade union, echoed this, describing the F-16s’ activity as a response to an “emergency” and denying any violation of borders or harassment.

Context of the Dispute

The episode highlights long-standing tensions over Cyprus, divided since Turkey’s 1974 military intervention following a Greek-backed coup. The island’s northern third remains under Turkish occupation and is recognized internationally only by Ankara as the TRNC. The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member since 2004, exercises sovereignty over the entire island in the eyes of the international community, including control of the Nicosia Flight Information Region (FIR).

Turkey does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus’s full authority in this context and routinely challenges flights and maritime activities in the area. Similar incidents have been reported frequently in the past.

The EU meeting in Nicosia focused on strengthening European defence capabilities amid ongoing conflicts, including the war in Ukraine. No major EU-wide condemnation or emergency measures have been announced so far regarding the flight incident.

Cyprus plans to pursue diplomatic channels, while both sides continue to trade accusations amid stalled reunification efforts under UN auspices.

This latest flare-up underscores the fragile security dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean, where NATO member Turkey, EU members Greece and Cyprus, and broader regional interests frequently intersect.