Tatar: Greek Cypriots ‘are preparing to shed blood’

Clearly annoyed by Cyprus’ decision to bolster its military defense, Turkish-Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar claims “Greek Cypriots have started an aggressive armament program and are preparing to shed blood.”

Speaking to Turkish newspaper Turkiye, Tatar, leader of the unrecognized entity in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, tried to compare the situation in Cyprus with that in Ukraine.

“What happened in Ukraine showed the whole world how right we were. In the past, Greek Cypriots were equipped for defense purposes. Now,” he claimed, “the dogma has changed and Greek Cypriots have been given weapons and weapon systems worth 300 million euros.”

“Greek Cypriots are trying to shed blood, and trying to drag Cyprus back to the chaos before 1974,” Tatar said, adding that the primary goal is to turn the whole of Cyprus into an EU island with Greek-Cypriot identity.