An airbase with Turkish drones in occupied northern Cyprus is of concern to neighboring countries, which see it as an additional instrument of instability in the troubled Eastern Mediterranean region, AP reported.
The Cypriot government sees the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles as a means for Turkey to achieve an expansionist program - using military means to expand its reach and consolidate its control over the region, which potentially possesses significant reserves of natural gas.
Turkey has deployed heavy weapons and over 35,000 troops in northern Cyprus since the occupation. But the deployment of drones is giving Turkey more room to strike, adding to regional concerns.
The leader of the separatist Turkish Cypriots, Ersin Tatar, boasted earlier that Bayraktar TB2 drones at Lefkoniko airbase could be deployed much faster than from bases on the Turkish mainland to survey the region as far as the coast of Egypt.
The Egyptian spokesman called the deployment yet another in a series of provocative measures by Ankara that require a tough response from the international community, especially the United States and the European Union, of which Cyprus is a member.
The base, along with other measures in Cyprus, Libya and the Mediterranean, is only further destabilizing the region. This is alarming, an Egyptian diplomat told The Associated Press, on condition of anonymity.
The drones were sent to northern Cyprus in December 2019 in response to oil and gas exploration by international energy companies licensed by the Cyprus government. Turkey has argued that exploration off the southern coast of Cyprus ignores its rights and the rights of Turkish Cypriots to the potential hydrocarbon wealth in the area.
Turkey has conducted its own searches for hydrocarbons in the waters claimed by Cyprus and Greece. The EU condemned Turkey's actions as a violation of international law and the sovereign rights of Cyprus and Greece.
At least two Bayraktar TV2 drones are currently deployed in Lefkoniko. With a range of 200 kilometers and an altitude of 6,100 meters, the drones can carry weapons and surveillance equipment capable of delivering real-time images to Turkish naval vessels.
Turkey is reportedly upgrading its Bayraktar satellite targeting systems to further expand their range. A reconnaissance report received by AP says the airbase is being upgraded to accommodate the planned deployment of additional unmanned aerial vehicles, surveillance aircraft, training aircraft and advanced fighters.
Israeli officials do not appear to view the base as a direct threat and declined to comment on the matter. In the past, they have objected to the aggressive actions of Turkey in the region.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Hayat said last month that the Israeli government follows with deep concern the recent unilateral actions of Turkey in northern Cyprus, and expressed his solidarity and full support to the Cypriot government.
While Israel refrains from making official comments, Gabriel Mitchell, an analyst at the Israel Institute for Regional Strategic Studies, said the drone base is an alarming development that will exacerbate existing tensions with Turkey.
According to Mitchell, Israel is trying to balance its support for Greece and Cyprus with its efforts to keep the door open for dialogue with Ankara.
But Turkey's planned expansion of the drone base is problematic because it will exacerbate the problems of regional partners - in particular Greece and Cyprus - and will generate a new set of security considerations in the already overpopulated eastern Mediterranean, the analyst said.
