The buildup of foreign military forces in and around Cyprus in recent days is “necessary”, after the island was hit by a drone, but the Republic of Cyprus itself is not party to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Tuesday.
“In no case [is Cyprus party to the conflict]. The measures taken are necessary measures. The assistance requested is necessary assistance. We always do what we must within the framework of preventative measures. That is the issue,” he told journalists.
He added that these measures “must be taken in the midst of a regional crisis as a state in the region”.
“They are not in any case measures which indicate the participation of Cyprus in any military operation. We have made it clear and we constantly repeat this, and we will repeat it again today. The Republic of Cyprus has neither participated in, nor is participating in, nor is going to participate in any military operation,” he said.
Instead, he added, it wishes to “serve its humanitarian role, as it has been doing all this time”.
Later asked how long those foreign forces may stay in and around Cyprus, he said that “first of all, to be precise, this is not about forces”.
On Monday evening, four Greek F-16 fighter jets were repositioned to the George Papandreou airbase at Paphos airport, while the Greek navy has also deployed two frigates, including one armed with the Centauros anti-drone system, to Cypriot waters.
The fighter jets and the frigates were followed by the country’s Defence Minister Nikos Dendias, who promised that his country will “always stand by the Republic of Cyprus”.
Letymbiotis said on Tuesday that France, too, will deploy a frigate to the island armed with anti-missile and anti-drone systems.
The agreement for French forces to be deployed, he said, has now been “finalised”, with the Cypriot government “in coordination with all our partners” regarding the prospect of further forces, from Europe and further afield, being deployed to the island and its territorial waters.
He then said that the government is “in daily contact with our partners, with friendly states, so that there is an extensive exchange of information so that we can all have a global picture of how this regional crisis is evolving”.
“Our goal, to the extent that our own forces allow, is to contribute, if possible, to the de-escalation of this crisis, which I think is the message that both the European Union and our partners are sending,” he said.
