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Just as Cyprus begins preparing for another possible round of peace talks, Turkey is sending a different kind of message: its military presence on the island is also under review.
According to the Daily Sabah, Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said Ankara is adjusting the preparedness of its forces in the occupied north in response to political and security developments in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean.
His statement came in a written reply to an opposition politician who asked how Turkey planned to respond to closer cooperation among the Republic of Cyprus, Greece, Israel and the United States.
Güler said Ankara is studying how those partnerships could affect Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot community. He added that military and political action would be taken if Turkey believed its interests were under threat.
The timing is significant. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres visited Cyprus last week and called for preparations to begin for an expanded conference on the Cyprus problem. The Republic’s political leaders are now discussing how to approach that next stage.
Turkey’s statement shows that while diplomacy is returning to the agenda, security tensions surrounding the island have not disappeared.
The Republic of Cyprus has strengthened its military and strategic relationships with several regional and Western partners in recent years, particularly as conflicts in the Middle East have brought new security concerns closer to the island.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also warned that Ankara is following attempts to draw Cyprus into new regional defense arrangements.
At the same time, Erdoğan welcomed Guterres’ latest initiative and said Turkey would remain in contact with the U.N. chief. However, he again insisted that any settlement must recognize the Turkish Cypriot community as a separate sovereign entity with equal international status.
That remains one of the biggest obstacles to restarting formal negotiations. Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership support a two-state solution, while the Republic of Cyprus and the United Nations remain committed to a bizonal, bicommunal federation.
Turkey has maintained troops in the occupied north since its 1974 invasion of Cyprus. The breakaway administration there is recognized only by Ankara.
Erdoğan also promised continued Turkish investment in the north, including plans for a subsea natural gas pipeline.
For Cypriots watching another peace initiative take shape, the message is mixed: discussions may be moving toward the negotiating table, but military calculations and deep disagreements over the island’s future remain firmly in place.
