Türkiye rebukes Greek Defence Minister's comments on Turkish Cypriots

The Turkish Ministry of National Defence strongly criticized Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias' recent remarks targeting Turkish Cypriots and the Turkish military.

The ministry denounced Dendias' comments as "baseless, filled with falsehoods, and aimed at denigrating Turkish Cypriots and the heroic Turkish army", Caliber.Az reports citing the ministry's statement on the X platform.

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It emphasized that the Turkish military acted within its rights as a guarantor under international agreements to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution by the Greek side between 1963 and 1974, preventing attempted genocide.

The ministry asserted that since 1974, the presence of the Turkish military has maintained peace and halted Greek junta pressure on Greek Cypriots, leading to the collapse of the military regime in Greece and the restoration of democracy.

"The Turkish military will continue to be the guarantor of peace and tranquillity in Cyprus tomorrow, as it was yesterday and today," the ministry stressed.

It called on Dendias to cease efforts to undermine constructive relations between Türkiye and Greece, warning that his attempts to sow discord between the peoples of Türkiye and Greece would be futile.

"Dendias' attempts to make a political career by sowing discord between the Turkish and Greek peoples will not yield results," the ministry concluded.