Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean: French Rafales sent to Cyprus?
BY
LAURENT LAGNEAU AUGUST 11, 2020
In recent hours, Athens has denounced the sending by Turkey of the ship Oruç Reis to an area between the islands of Crete [southern Greece] and Cyprus, near the [Turkish] city of Antalya, as part of a new hydrocarbon prospecting campaign. Clearly, this vessel will navigate in Greek and Cypriot waters, Ankara relying on an agreement signed last November with the Libyan government of national unity relating to its maritime borders.
Obviously, the Turkish authorities did not skimp on the means to ensure the protection of this research boat. Indeed, via Twitter, the Turkish Ministry of Defense published photographs on which the Oruc Reis was seen being escorted by 4 Avisos A69 [France in 6 delivered to the Turkish Navy between 2000 and 2002, editor's note] and a frigate Meko. It is possible that a submarine completes this device [we believe in guessing on one of the aerial shots].
Anyway, on August 10, Greece accused Turkey of "threatening peace" in the eastern Mediterranean and assured that it will defend "its sovereignty and sovereign rights. In addition, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, met with Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, as well as with Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO.
Regarding the discussion with the latter, the head of the Greek government must have been disappointed. "This situation must be resolved in a spirit of solidarity among allies and in accordance with international law", declared Mr. Stoltenberg via Twitter.
In any case, this August 11, Athens requested the urgent holding of a European Union summit to discuss the case of Turkey, which, through the head of its diplomacy, Mevlut Cavusoglu, put a plus oil on the fire by asserting that it would expand its prospecting operations "near the western borders of its continental shelf." "
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will submit a request for an emergency summit of the Council of Foreign Affairs of the European Union," said Mr. Mitsotakis.
In Cyprus [member of the EU, editor's note], the same concerns are expressed. Thus, on August 10, Nicosia declared Turkish activities “illegal”. The Cypriot Ministry of Defense issued a
Navtex in which it explains that the actions carried out by the ship Oruç Reis constitute a "violation of international law and maritime security procedures" as well as a "criminal offense under the laws of the Republic of Cyprus ”.
And to demand, therefore, the immediate withdrawal of the Turkish boat. And this also applies to the Barbaros Hayredin, another prospecting vessel sent by Ankara to the Cypriot exclusive economic zone.
In this matter, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus can count on the support of France. A strategic partnership agreement is in fact being finalized between Paris and Athens. And a defense agreement with Nicosia has just entered into force.
In addition to increased cooperation in the fields of armaments and defense technologies, this text provides for the training of Cypriot soldiers in France, joint exercises, exchanges and authorizations aimed at allowing French ships and planes to call at Cyprus.
“The rise of tensions in the eastern Mediterranean and its surroundings, and particularly Turkish pressures, can only lead the Cypriots to be more than in the past asking for signs of reassurance. It is in this sense that we can analyze the possibilities of deepening Franco-Cypriot military cooperation opened up by the intergovernmental agreement ”,
explained a French parliamentary report, on the occasion of the examination of This agreement.
Obviously, and while the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean has increased a notch in recent days, the Cypriot press has indicated that two French Rafales, probably coming from the projected air base [BAP] in Jordan, have been spotted in Andreas Papandreou Airport, near the town of Paphos, located in the south-west of the island. The two aircraft are a priori accompanied by a C-135FR tanker aircraft. A Transall C-160 was also spotted by air traffic monitoring systems. But there is nothing to say with certainty that it landed in Cyprus.
The "in-Cyprus" site, linked to the daily Phileleftheros,
claims that the two Rafales took part in an exercise which mobilized, during one day, the Cypriot army and four helicopters of the Israeli air force. "The French planes must remain at the military base of Andreas Papandreou in Paphos for a while because they will carry out patrols in the region of the Eastern Mediterranean", he specifies, by relying on "well-informed sources. "
As a reminder, the airborne group [GAé] of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier took part in exercises which consisted in testing the Cypriot air defense last February. More recently, the light stealth frigate [FLF] Aconit
took part in naval maneuvers organized by the Cypriot Ministry of Defense and involving the frigates Kanaris [Greece] and Alpino [Italy].
Photo: Archive - EMA / French Air Force
Ces dernières heures, Athènes a dénoncé l'envoi par la Turquie du navire Oruç Reis dans une zone située entre les îles de Crète et de Chypre, à la hauteur
www.opex360.com
www.livefistdefence.com
https://defenceforumindia.com/threads/french-military-pictures.6177/post-1257043
