11.06.2026 11:00
Following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement, "If the rights and law of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean are targeted, our response will be very clear and harsh," a notable statement also came from the Ministry of National Defense. In the statement made by the Ministry, the following expressions were used: "The Turkish Armed Forces have the power and determination to give the harshest response to hostile attitudes that threaten the security of Turkish Cypriots."
In response to unilateral moves and provocations in the Eastern Mediterranean and around the island of Cyprus, Turkey issued top-level warnings from both diplomatic and military channels. Following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's clear messages to Israel and other actors in the region, the Ministry of National Defense (MSB) also made a critical statement regarding military activity and disinformation in the region. President Erdoğan clearly drew the red lines of Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), declaring Ankara's determination to the world with the words, "If the rights and laws of Turkey and Cyprus are targeted in the Eastern Mediterranean, our response will be very clear and harsh."
FROM MSB TO FRANCE AND GREEK CYPRIOT ADMINISTRATION: NO CHANCE OF SUCCESS AGAINST TURKEY Following President Erdoğan's statements, the official statement from the MSB harshly criticized the military agreement signed between France and the Greek Cypriot Administration. It stated that the agreement is completely contrary to the 1960 Cyprus Treaties and international law, using the following expressions: "The agreement signed between France, which has no guarantor status in Cyprus, and the Greek Cypriot Administration, which aims to unilaterally change the delicate balances on the island and ignores the will and sovereign equal rights of the Turkish Cypriots, has no legitimacy. We once again remind the fact that any military alliance that disregards the delicate balances in the region and targets the rights and interests of Turkey and the TRNC has no chance of success against Turkey. The Turkish Armed Forces have the power and determination to give the harshest response to hostile attitudes that threaten the security of the Turkish Cypriots."
RESPONSE TO GREECE'S "HARASSMENT" CLAIMS The MSB, stating that the claims in the Greek media that "Turkish jets harassed aircraft carrying the Greek Defense Minister and European ministers" are completely a conscious and organized provocation, shared details of the airspace violation that occurred on June 7, 2026. The Ministry announced that 4 out of 6 air traffic flying on the Greece and Greek Cypriot Administration route clearly violated the TRNC airspace, upon which two Turkish F-16 aircraft on alert reaction duty in the TRNC immediately took off for precautionary measures. It was emphasized that Turkish jets only operated in the TRNC airspace, no harassment incident occurred, and Greece once again tried to create a "victimhood perception."
REGIONAL WAR WARNING: RENEWED CALL FOR DIPLOMACY The Ministry of National Defense also touched upon the hot developments in the Middle East, stating that the conflicts, which began with Israel and the USA's attacks on Iran and escalated with Iran targeting third countries, have caused great damage to global and regional stability. Expressing that the developments are being closely monitored, the ministry invited the parties to common sense with the statement: "We reiterate that the attacks must be ended as soon as possible, conflicts will not benefit any side, and we are in favor of resolving the issue through diplomacy."