Erdogan says Turkey ready to build Cyprus naval base ‘if necessary’
Al Jazeera
The Turkish president accuses Greece of wanting to establish a naval base of its own in Cyprus.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey is ready to build a naval base in Cyprus, half a century after its forces invaded the now-divided island.
“If necessary, we can construct a base and naval structures in the north” of Cyprus, Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency quoted the leader as saying on Sunday.
Erdogan said he flew back to Turkey after visiting Northern Cyprus on Saturday to mark 50 years since Turkey’s invasion. He also accused rival Greece of wanting to establish a naval base of its own in Cyprus, on whose future both sides remain as divided as ever.
Cyprus gained independence from Britain in 1960, but a shared administration between Greek and Turkish Cypriots quickly fell apart following violence that saw Turkish Cypriots withdraw into enclaves and the dispatch of a United Nations peacekeeping force.
In 1974, Turkey captured more than a third of the island and expelled more than 160,000 Greek Cypriots to the south.
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