Levent Kenez/Stockholm
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus announced on June 10 that Spain and Poland had decided to withdraw from a military exercise in Turkey in which they had participated alongside the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC). However, new video footage from the exercise indicates that Spain, at least, did not withdraw.
On June 8, Nordic Monitor reported that the Turkish Ministry of Defense shared a video of the ongoing International Anatolian Phoenix Exercise-2023 in Konya, which involved the participation of Azerbaijan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), Spain, Qatar and Poland. The Greek and Cypriot governments had previously protested the participation of EU countries in this exercise due to the involvement of the KKTC.
The International Anatolian Phoenix Exercise has been carried out at the 3rd Main Jet Base Command in Konya since 2009 in a realistic operational environment with the aim of developing survival and evasion procedures and increasing pilots and ground personnel’s experience in joint operations.
Cyprus has been divided into a Turkish Cypriot north and a Greek Cypriot south since Turkey’s intervention in 1974 following a coup by Greek nationalists, with Turkish Cypriots declaring independence in 1983. The KKTC is recognized only by Turkey, which has no diplomatic relations with the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus on June 10, it appears that Cypriot officials were in contact with officials from both countries and expressed their concerns about the exercise.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the Diplomatic Office of the President and the Ministry of Defense, has taken necessary actions at all levels. It has been found that participating countries were not informed in advance about the involvement of the illegal secessionist entity. As a result of the aforementioned actions, Spain and Poland have informed the Republic of Cyprus that they are withdrawing immediately from the exercise,” the translated statement reads.
Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis also confirmed through a message on his Twitter account that the two countries would withdraw from the exercise. However, in the new video footage released by the Turkish Ministry of Defense on Tuesday, it is obvious that Spanish soldiers were present at the exercise. The soldiers can be seen participating in military maneuvers alongside soldiers from the KKTC, wearing exercise badges and the Spanish flag on their arms. However, there is no indication of the presence of Polish soldiers in the video.
According to a military intelligence expert contacted by Nordic Monitor, it is possible to infer from unidentified soldiers’ approaches to targets, equipment usage and movement patterns that they have received training within the scope of NATO or similar. However, it is not possible to confirm that they are Polish soldiers.
The expert also stated that the presence of Spanish soldiers in the video potentially convey a message to Greece and Cyprus. However, in the ministry’s social media post, contrary to previous messages, the names of the participating countries are not mentioned. Contrary to tradition, the parachuting soldiers do not deploy their country’s flags when landing.
A statement issued by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 10 said Minister Zbigniew Rau had discussed the exercise issue in Turkey with his Cypriot counterpart. The statement included the following quote: “Minister Rau thanked for the provided information and assured that Poland’s position towards the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus remains unchanged.”
In 2021 Slovakia, which had announced its participation in the exercise, withdrew in a last-minute decision in response to objections from Greece. Slovakia and the United States were supposed to send ground personnel to participate in the drill in 2021. However, according to reports in the Turkish media, the US also decided against participating in the exercise. Despite the withdrawal of the two countries, the pro-government press reported that Slovakia and the US had participated in the exercise.
Greece supports the non-recognition of the KKTC, calling Turkey’s military presence in the northern part of the island an invasion. Turkey, on the other hand, supports the KKTC and argues that all parties on the island have equal rights.
These tensions reflect the ongoing disagreements between Turkey and Greece and their differing positions on the Cyprus problem.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following his re-election, made his first foreign visit to northern Cyprus, as is customary, on June 12. Erdogan said, “If a return to the negotiating table is to take place, that path goes through the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.”
Turkey encourages the KKTC to participate in or send representatives to international meetings and events it hosts. It is lobbying for recognition of the KKTC by Islamic countries and the Central Asian Turkic Republics.
In September 2022 Erdogan called for the recognition of the KKTC as an independent state and urged the removal of sanctions and embargoes on the Turkish Cypriots during his speech at the UN General Assembly. In previous years, Romania, Pakistan and the United Kingdom had participated with the KKTC in the International Anatolian Phoenix Exercise, which has been held since 2009.
