The Commission was questioned today at its regular press conference about the Turkish harassment that occurred on Sunday afternoon at a military aircraft carrying the Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, to Cyprus.
Commission spokeswoman, Anita Hipper, said “We have seen the reports and of course we are aware of the issue. We will investigate exactly what happened and of course we will be in contact with our counterparts in Cyprus.”
The Turkish harassment occurred on the military aircraft that was carryingNational Defence Minister Nikos Dendias to Cyprus for the informal Foreign Affairs and Defence Council in Nicosia. Similar incidents reportedly occurred on state aircraft carrying defence ministers of European Union member states, including France and the Netherlands.
During the flight, communications interference was recorded from the so-called control tower of the illegal Tympos airport. At the same time, two Turkish F-16 fighter jets took off from the area and were also seen from the free areas of Cyprus. The aircrafts are reported to have been watching from a distance the flights carrying European ministers to the island.
The presence of defence ministers in Cyprus concerns the holding of the informal Foreign Affairs (Defence) Council of the European Union, which is taking place on Monday in Lekosia as part of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Sources said similar actions had taken place at previous informal meetings of European officials hosted in Cyprus.
