ISTANBUL: Turkey’s armed forces on Sunday began annual exercises in the breakaway republic of northern Cyprus — an entity recognized only by Ankara — as tensions brewed with Greece in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey’s hunt for gas and oil reserves in waters claimed by Greece has put huge strain on the relationship between the two NATO members.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday raised the stakes and warned Greece: “They will either understand the language of politics and diplomacy, or on the field through bitter experiences.”
NATO said earlier technical talks would start to avoid incidents between the two countries’ navies, but Athens said it had not agreed to the talks and Ankara accused Greece of shunning dialogue.
As the tension ran high, the Turkish military began its exercises called “Mediterranean Storm” with the Turkish Cypriot Security Command, Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Twitter.
“The security priorities of our country and the TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) are indispensable,” Oktay said.
The Turkish defense ministry also tweeted that the exercises, which are due to last until Thursday, continued “successfully.”
Cyprus is divided between the Greek Cypriot-run south — an EU member state — and the Turkish Cypriot north.
Turkey has stationed tens of thousands of troops in the north of the island since its 1974 invasion, which followed a coup engineered by military rulers in Athens.
Turkey begins military exercises in north Cyprus
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Turkey begins military exercises in north Cyprus
- Turkey’s hunt for gas and oil reserves in waters claimed by Greece has put huge strain on the relationship between the two NATO members
- The Turkish military began its exercises called “Mediterranean Storm” with the Turkish Cypriot Security Command
Iran unrest persists, top judge warns protesters
- Demonstrations sparked by soaring inflation
- Western provinces worst affected
DUBAI: Iran’s top judge warned protesters on Wednesday there would be “no leniency for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic,” while accusing Israel and the US of pursuing hybrid methods to disrupt the country.
The current protests, the biggest wave of dissent in three years, began last month in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar by shopkeepers condemning the currency’s free fall.
Unrest has since spread nationwide amid deepening distress over economic hardships, including rocketing inflation driven by mismanagement and Western sanctions, and curbs on political and social freedoms.
“Following announcements by Israel and the US president, there is no excuse for those coming to the streets for riots and unrest, chief justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of Iran’s judiciary, was quoted as saying by state media.
“From now on, there will be no leniency for whoever helps the enemy against the Islamic Republic and the calm of the people,” Ejei said.
Iranian authorities have not given a death toll for protesters, but have said at least two members of the security services have died and more than a dozen have been injured.
Iran’s western provinces have witnessed the most violent protests.
“During the funeral of two people in Malekshahi on Tuesday, a number of attendees began chanting harsh, anti-system slogans,” said Iran’s Fars, news agency.
After the funeral, Fars said, “about 100 mourners went into the city and trashed three banks ... Some started shooting at the police trying to disperse them.”
The semi-official Mehr news agency said protesters stormed a food store and emptied bags of rice, which has been affected by galloping inflation that has made ordinary staples increasingly unaffordable for many Iranians.
