The Turkish Ministry of Defense has revealed that six Turkish F-16 fighter planes, along with air defense systems, arrived in the Turkish-occupied territories of northern Cyprus on the morning of Monday, March 9th.
The deployment of these aircraft had been previously reported by both international and Turkish media. Askin Meseli—deputy director of the Civil Aviation Department of the self-proclaimed Turkish-held North Cypriot state—emphasized that the deployment is strictly for security reasons and will not affect civilian flights.
However, Cyprus’ president, Nikos Christodoulides, stated that a significant number of occupying troops and a large amount of military equipment remain on his territory.
Turkey will not cease to be an occupying power in Cyprus.
