Columnist urges Cyprus to review defense cooperation — Cyprus Mail
In Cyprus, a Cyprus Mail column calls on Nicosia to reconsider deeper defense cooperation with Greece and Israel. According to the author, such interaction does not create sufficient deterrence against Turkey, but instead turns the territory of the Republic of Cyprus into a more significant target of regional confrontation.
Defense cooperation
The column mentions joint air exercises at Andreas Papandreou Air Base in Paphos, the expansion of facilities at Evangelos Florakis Naval Base in Mari, and the integration of Israeli Barak MX air defense systems with Cypriot radars. The author describes the trilateral defense architecture of Greece, Israel and Cyprus as an external coalition to balance Turkish influence in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In his view, Ankara may regard the development of such infrastructure as an attempt to limit its naval capabilities. The author also notes that Turkey has deployed combat drones at Lefkoniko Air Base in the north of the island and is upgrading coastal facilities.
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Strategic restraint
The author proposes that the Cypriot authorities separate the country's territory from power-projection operations by external partners. In particular, he calls for the air base in Paphos, the base in Mari and state commercial ports not to be used to support foreign strike operations, combat refueling or reconnaissance flights.
Separately, the author raises the issue of the British sovereign bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which are not under the direct jurisdiction of the Republic of Cyprus. He believes that Nicosia should more clearly distinguish between the island's civilian infrastructure and the activities of the British military.
As an alternative to deeper coalition integration, the column proposes directing defense spending toward asymmetric territorial defense, including mobile Exocet coastal systems, man-portable air defense systems and loitering munitions. The author also critically assesses energy projects, including the Great Sea Interconnector, considering them vulnerable to geopolitical tensions.
