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Kurtulmuş: Turkey Stands with Turkish Cypriots with F-16s

Published March 12, 2026, 12:12
Kurtulmuş: Turkey Stands with Turkish Cypriots with F-16s

The President of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Numan Kurtulmuş, stated that Turkey stands with Turkish Cypriots and has deployed F-16 fighter jets to the occupied territories to prevent the Government of the Republic of Cyprus from exploiting the current unstable situation in the region. Mr. Kurtulmuş made these statements during a meeting with Turkish Cypriot “parliamentarians” visiting Turkey. He expressed concern about developments in the Middle East and the risk of negatively impacting the occupied territories, while also referring to the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, which he described as a situation that needs to be closely monitored. He argued that Turkey is making every effort to prevent the international community from turning against Turkey due to developments in Cyprus. Mr. Kurtulmuş reiterated the view that the occupied territories are a mature state with full institutions and that the denial of the existence of two peoples in Cyprus cannot be a solution for the island.