President Tatar criticizes UK troop deployment to Cyprus

TRNC President Ersin Tatar reacted to the UK’s decision to send 700 additional troops to its sovereign bases on the island, with Britain citing the need to evacuate its citizens from war-torn Lebanon.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency on Thursday, Ersin Tatar told that amid continuing attacks in Gaza and the risk of Israel launching a large-scale attack on Lebanon, the purpose of the UK sending an additional 700 troops to its sovereign bases on the island for evacuations could indicate the possibility of a regional war.

Tatar quoted Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s statement that the Greek Cypriot administration has become a base used by certain countries, especially in operations against Gaza, adding: “My main assessment is that Britain’s increase in the number of troops in its sovereign bases in Cyprus is within the framework of measures taken to spread an expected war in the region.”

The President stressed that Türkiye is one of the guarantor states of the whole island of Cyprus and that the Greek Cypriots’ transformation of the island into a military base for foreign countries is both contrary to international agreements and unacceptable.