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RUSSIAN BASE FOR CYPRUS
Hurriyet Daily news, Turkey
Feb 11 2015
by Yusuf Kanli
Officially whatever is left from the 1960 Cyprus Republic, it is
still "officially" a non-aligned country, even if there is no longer
a functional Non-Aligned movement. It seems like a bad joke. On part
of its territory there are two sovereign bases of NATO-member Britain.
With NATO-member France, it has a special defence cooperation agreement
that allows the French to use the Greek Cypriot military facilities,
including an ARIBAs. Again, NATO-member Greece has special and
advantageous defence cooperation agreements with the Greek Cypriot
state, allowing it to have free access to all military places. Israel
has special relations with the Greek Cypriot state. Furthermore, for
ages Greek Cypriots have been complaining that Turkey is blocking
their admission into the Partnership for Peace programmes, if not
full membership of NATO. What kind of a non-aligned status that is,
however, is difficult to understand.
Could it surprise anyone should someone come up with a claim that
Greek Cypriots were offering bases to Russia? Will this be the first
time such a flirtation will be in the cards? Was it not the Greek
Cypriot Finance Minister Michael Sarris who visited Moscow in March
2013 to offer bases to Russia in exchange of much needed easy loans
to overcome the worst financial crisis of south Cyprus in recent times?
Did not those talks collapse when the Russians did not find Greek
Cypriot offers juicy enough and ask for arrangements enjoyed by the
British bases -that is to have sovereign bases on Cyprus?
Through its proxy on Cyprus, the socialist Akel Party, Russians have
always been active in Cyprus diplomacy and local politics. There
are some claims that the July 15 Greece-engineered coup against
Archbishop Makarios as well as the July 20, 1974 Turkish intervention
the coup triggered were part of an effort to keep the island drifting
into Soviet camp. It is no secret, anyhow, that if not the sole one
Russia before and after the Cold War irrespectively has been one of
the staunchest allies of the Greek Cypriots at the UN Security Council.
Even when relations between Ankara and Moscow appeared to be
at their climax, Russia never parted from its pro-Greek Cypriot
stance on Cyprus. Was it not primarily because of Russia that in the
post-Annan plan period the report of former Secretary-General Kofi
Annan suggesting lifting of the international isolation of Turkish
Cypriots blocked at the UN? Well, of course there is, as well, always
the French connection that whatever odd happens against Turkey and the
Turks at the UN and other international forums, but that is related
more to the Armenian issue and an overall animosity towards Turkey
than support for Cyprus.
The latest euphoria over the Russian base on the Cyprus issue was
because of a slip of the tongue of President Nikos Anastasiades. He
did not even use the word "base" while briefing reporters about
upcoming agreements with Russia. He said among the agreements to be
signed, there will be one on "providing facilities for emergency and
humanitarian operations to Russian aircraft carriers." Of course
there is a difference between "providing facilities" or "offering
facilities to facilitate humanitarian operations" and "offering bases."
Even if they are "sovereign bases" of another country, a Non-Aligned
country should at least express discomfort with if such bases on its
territory are used in operations against neighbouring countries.
The Libya, Syria and Egypt policies of the Greek Cypriot government
demonstrate that military facilities of the island have become some
sort of NATO facilities. Except for Turkey whoever so far wanted to
use them was provided the required facilitations.
In those "good old Cold War days" late Archbishop Makarios was one
of the leading figures of the Non-Aligned Movement, along with Joseph
Broz Tito of the deceased Yugoslavia and India's First Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru. Yet, in those times as well, Greek Cypriots were
dangling in between Washington and Moscow, effectively employing a
tightrope policy and trying to make best use of antagonism between
the two... The end result has always been to alienate the Turkish
Cypriot population from the rest of the world and consolidate all Greek
Cypriot governance as the government of the entire island, even if that
contradicted the founding agreements and the constitution of the state.
That policy proved to be successful and is still continuing today.
Officially, Anastasiades is talking in Brussels to join NATO if
Turkey is be convinced, in Moscow he is offering free use of bases
to Russians. Yet no one is talking about the 2010 agreement signed
between Israel and Greek Cyprus...
This is a dirty game. Anyhow, Greek Cypriots have officially denied
that no bases were offered to Russia, and the world must believe to
what's said...
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/russian-base-for-cyprus.aspx?pageID=238&nid=78166&NewsCatID=425
Hurriyet Daily news, Turkey
Feb 11 2015
by Yusuf Kanli
Officially whatever is left from the 1960 Cyprus Republic, it is
still "officially" a non-aligned country, even if there is no longer
a functional Non-Aligned movement. It seems like a bad joke. On part
of its territory there are two sovereign bases of NATO-member Britain.
With NATO-member France, it has a special defence cooperation agreement
that allows the French to use the Greek Cypriot military facilities,
including an ARIBAs. Again, NATO-member Greece has special and
advantageous defence cooperation agreements with the Greek Cypriot
state, allowing it to have free access to all military places. Israel
has special relations with the Greek Cypriot state. Furthermore, for
ages Greek Cypriots have been complaining that Turkey is blocking
their admission into the Partnership for Peace programmes, if not
full membership of NATO. What kind of a non-aligned status that is,
however, is difficult to understand.
Could it surprise anyone should someone come up with a claim that
Greek Cypriots were offering bases to Russia? Will this be the first
time such a flirtation will be in the cards? Was it not the Greek
Cypriot Finance Minister Michael Sarris who visited Moscow in March
2013 to offer bases to Russia in exchange of much needed easy loans
to overcome the worst financial crisis of south Cyprus in recent times?
Did not those talks collapse when the Russians did not find Greek
Cypriot offers juicy enough and ask for arrangements enjoyed by the
British bases -that is to have sovereign bases on Cyprus?
Through its proxy on Cyprus, the socialist Akel Party, Russians have
always been active in Cyprus diplomacy and local politics. There
are some claims that the July 15 Greece-engineered coup against
Archbishop Makarios as well as the July 20, 1974 Turkish intervention
the coup triggered were part of an effort to keep the island drifting
into Soviet camp. It is no secret, anyhow, that if not the sole one
Russia before and after the Cold War irrespectively has been one of
the staunchest allies of the Greek Cypriots at the UN Security Council.
Even when relations between Ankara and Moscow appeared to be
at their climax, Russia never parted from its pro-Greek Cypriot
stance on Cyprus. Was it not primarily because of Russia that in the
post-Annan plan period the report of former Secretary-General Kofi
Annan suggesting lifting of the international isolation of Turkish
Cypriots blocked at the UN? Well, of course there is, as well, always
the French connection that whatever odd happens against Turkey and the
Turks at the UN and other international forums, but that is related
more to the Armenian issue and an overall animosity towards Turkey
than support for Cyprus.
The latest euphoria over the Russian base on the Cyprus issue was
because of a slip of the tongue of President Nikos Anastasiades. He
did not even use the word "base" while briefing reporters about
upcoming agreements with Russia. He said among the agreements to be
signed, there will be one on "providing facilities for emergency and
humanitarian operations to Russian aircraft carriers." Of course
there is a difference between "providing facilities" or "offering
facilities to facilitate humanitarian operations" and "offering bases."
Even if they are "sovereign bases" of another country, a Non-Aligned
country should at least express discomfort with if such bases on its
territory are used in operations against neighbouring countries.
The Libya, Syria and Egypt policies of the Greek Cypriot government
demonstrate that military facilities of the island have become some
sort of NATO facilities. Except for Turkey whoever so far wanted to
use them was provided the required facilitations.
In those "good old Cold War days" late Archbishop Makarios was one
of the leading figures of the Non-Aligned Movement, along with Joseph
Broz Tito of the deceased Yugoslavia and India's First Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru. Yet, in those times as well, Greek Cypriots were
dangling in between Washington and Moscow, effectively employing a
tightrope policy and trying to make best use of antagonism between
the two... The end result has always been to alienate the Turkish
Cypriot population from the rest of the world and consolidate all Greek
Cypriot governance as the government of the entire island, even if that
contradicted the founding agreements and the constitution of the state.
That policy proved to be successful and is still continuing today.
Officially, Anastasiades is talking in Brussels to join NATO if
Turkey is be convinced, in Moscow he is offering free use of bases
to Russians. Yet no one is talking about the 2010 agreement signed
between Israel and Greek Cyprus...
This is a dirty game. Anyhow, Greek Cypriots have officially denied
that no bases were offered to Russia, and the world must believe to
what's said...
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/russian-base-for-cyprus.aspx?pageID=238&nid=78166&NewsCatID=425