Türkiye cannot be intimidated over Cyprus and Aegean, says Kanlı

ÖZER Kanlı has criticised the military display in South Cyprus and expanding regional defence partnerships, arguing that Türkiye and the TRNC cannot be intimidated into surrendering their rights and interests in Cyprus, the Eastern Mediterranean or the Aegean.

In a commentary shared on social media, Kanlı said the Greek Cypriot administration’s and Greece’s growing military cooperation with Israel and France should be assessed against Türkiye’s own defence capabilities and presence on the island.

He also criticised what he described as revenge slogans shouted by Greek Cypriot soldiers during the parade, including calls to return to Gazimağusa and Girne.

Questioning whether the purpose of the military build-up was to frighten Türkiye and the TRNC or pressure them into concessions, Kanlı argued that anyone pursuing such a strategy needed to examine the balance of power.

To support his argument, he cited figures putting Türkiye’s defence and aerospace exports at $10.054 billion in 2025, compared with $248 million in 2002 — an approximately fortyfold increase.

He said Türkiye’s expanding defence industry had changed its position from a country reliant on purchasing weapons abroad to one developing its own drones, warships, radar, electronic warfare equipment, air defence systems and missiles.

Kanlı highlighted the KAAN combat aircraft programme and the TAYFUN ballistic missile family as examples of that development, alongside other Turkish missile and air defence projects.

Turning to the TRNC’s security, he pointed to the deployment of Turkish F-16 fighter aircraft and air defence systems, arguing that Türkiye’s military presence on the island represented an operational commitment rather than a symbolic gesture.

“The TRNC is not alone,” he wrote.

Kanlı acknowledged that cooperation between Greece, the Greek Cypriot administration and Israel, together with France’s involvement, should not be dismissed. He referred to joint military planning, exercises and defence agreements as evidence of their deepening relationships.

However, he argued that recognising those developments did not mean Türkiye or Turkish Cypriots should fear them. Deterrence, he said, worked in both directions, with Türkiye’s military capabilities, domestic defence production and proximity to Cyprus giving it substantial strategic weight.

Kanlı also accused Israel of encouraging confrontation with Türkiye partly to advance its own arms sales interests.

Despite the strongly worded criticism, he concluded that diplomacy should determine the region’s future and that military strength should support a negotiated approach.

He urged Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration to prioritise friendship with Türkiye over the calculations of outside powers, arguing that an accurate understanding of the regional balance should encourage rational diplomacy.