NICOSIA: The leader of breakaway northern Cyprus, Mustafa Akinci, stood firm in the face of calls to resign on Monday after criticizing Turkey’s military offensive in Syria.
Akinci, president of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, took the rare step over the weekend of criticizing Turkey, the only country that recognizes the TRNC.
“Even if we call it ‘Peace Spring’, it is blood that is spilling and not water,” he wrote on Facebook, referring to the codename of the Turkish military operation against Kurdish-held northeast Syria launched last Wednesday.
He also called for “dialogue and diplomacy.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded on Sunday that the Turkish Cypriot leader had “totally overstepped his bounds.”
Erdogan warned: “At the given time, we will deliver an appropriate response.”
Akinci’s opponents in northern Nicosia called an extraordinary session of parliament Monday to press for his resignation, saying he had damaged ties with the country’s only patron.
But Akinci rejected the complaints as “unjust,” although he sought to nuance his remarks on Facebook.
“It is our common desire that Turkey gets rid of the scourge of terrorism that it has suffered a lot,” he said in a statement.
“However, I believe that it’s time for the war... on Syrian soil to come to an end,” he added.
Undaunted, Akinci asked: “Since when has defending peace become a crime?” And he added that the divided Mediterranean island’s Turkish Cypriots were not dependent on Ankara’s patronage.
“Turkey has done more than anyone to support the Turkish Cypriot people and state. However, Turkish Cypriots have reached their current position through their own great struggles,” he said.
The republic was created after Turkey invaded northern Cyprus in 1974 following a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece, and it has remained divided.
Akinci also said that Turkey, which still maintains 30,000-40,000 troops in the TRNC, should focus on improving its relations with the European Union, which has condemned the Turkish offensive in Syria.
The Greek Cypriot-run Republic of Cyprus in the south, a country which Ankara does not recognize, is an EU member.
North Cyprus head stands firm in row over Turkey criticism
North Cyprus head stands firm in row over Turkey criticism
- Akinci’s opponents in northern Nicosia called an extraordinary session of parliament Monday to press for his resignation, saying he had damaged ties with the country’s only patron
- Akinci said that Turkey, which still maintains 30,000-40,000 troops in the TRNC, should focus on improving its relations with the EU, which has condemned the Turkish offensive in Syria
EU should consider forming combined military force: defense chief
- Kubilius floated creating a “powerful, standing ‘European military force’ of 100,000 troops” that could eventually replace US forces
- Trump has heightened fears among NATO allies over Washington’s reliability by insisting he wants to take over Greenland
BRUSSELS: EU countries should weigh whether to set up a combined military force that could eventually replace US troops in Europe, the bloc’s defense chief said Sunday.
EU defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius floated creating a “powerful, standing ‘European military force’ of 100,000 troops” as a possible option to better protect the continent.
“How will we replace the 100,000-strong American standing military force, which is the back-bone military force in Europe?” he asked in a speech in Sweden.
The suggestion comes as US President Donald Trump has heightened fears among NATO allies over Washington’s reliability by insisting he wants to take over Greenland.
Worries over Trump’s commitment to Europe have already spurred countries to step up efforts to bolster their militaries in the face of the threat posed by Russia.
Ideas about establishing a central European army have floated around for years but have largely failed to gain traction as nations are wary of relinquishing control over their militaries.
The US has pushed its European allies to increasingly take over responsibility for their own security, and raised the prospect it could shift forces from Europe to focus on China.
“In such times, we should not run away from the most pressing questions on our institutional defense readiness,” said Kubilius, a former Lithuanian prime minister.
In his speech Kubilius also advocated for the creation of a “European Security Council” of key powers — including potentially Britain — that could help the continent take decisions over its own defense quicker.
“The European Security Council could be composed of key permanent members, along with several rotational members,” he said.
“In total around 10-12 members, with the task to discuss the most important issues in defense.”
He said the first focus of such a body should be trying to change the dynamics in the war in Ukraine to ensure that Kyiv does not end up losing.
“We need to have a clear answer — how is the EU going to change that scenario?,” he said.
“This is the reason why we need to have a European Security Council now!“
