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Türkiye's Ministry of National Defense (MoND) stated on Thursday that work related to the S-400 long-range regional air and missile defense systems is continuing "on multiple fronts," without providing further details on their current status.
Speaking after the ministry's weekly press briefing at Havelsan, an MoND official told reporters: "Work related to the S-400 long-range regional air and missile defense systems is continuing on multiple fronts. Concrete developments will be shared with the public when they occur."
The brief statement did not address the systems' current operational status, any potential resale, or their relationship to ongoing U.S. sanctions relief discussions, topics that have drawn significant recent reporting from Turkish media and other outlets.
The ministry also addressed a recent European Parliament decision concerning Cyprus, saying it "strongly rejects" what it called "baseless, irrational and disgraceful allegations" targeting the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) over the 1974 Peace Operation.
The ministry said the resolution ignored massacres, mass graves, and years of what it called inhumane attacks suffered by Turkish Cypriots, terming it "a clear indication of confusion within the European Parliament and a one-sided approach based on Greek Cypriot propaganda."
The ministry said the EOKA terrorist organization had, starting in 1963, burned and destroyed 103 Turkish villages and displaced approximately 30,000 Turkish Cypriots in pursuit of union with Greece, killing innocent women, children, and elderly people.
"It is tragicomic that those who ignore the massacres committed in Bloody Christmas, in Ayvasil, in Murataga, Sandallar, and Atlilar, before the eyes of the entire world, are now trying to accuse our Turkish Armed Forces," the ministry said.
The MoND said Türkiye, as a guarantor state under international agreements, ended attacks targeting the existence and security of Turkish Cypriots through the Cyprus Peace Operation, saved the Turkish Cypriot community from annihilation, and established peace and security on the island.
"The presence of Turkish soldiers on the island continues to be the guarantee of peace, security, and stability for more than half a century," the statement said.
"The Republic of Türkiye, as a guarantor state, will continue to secure the rights, interests, and security of the Turkish Cypriot people, as it has done until now. The Turkish Armed Forces are, today, more determined than ever to give the necessary response to any hostile stance targeting the security of the Turkish Cypriot people," the ministry noted.
The ministry said continued harmonious relations between Türkiye and Syria, and the expansion of cooperation into new areas, including the development of Syrian naval capacity, would contribute to regional stability.
It said the commander of the Turkish Naval Forces and an accompanying delegation visited Syria on July 13 to strengthen maritime military cooperation and coordination between the two countries and to discuss matters of shared interest.
The ministry also highlighted recent momentum in defense ties with Egypt, citing high-level visits and joint exercises held in Egypt and then Türkiye in June involving air force elements, which it said contributed to interoperability and shared operational experience between the two countries' armed forces.
It said talks between Türkiye's defense minister and his Egyptian counterpart had resulted in the signing of a "Letter of Intent on Defense Cooperation," which it described as reflecting a shared will to deepen defense and security cooperation on an institutional footing and to develop new areas of cooperation contributing to regional peace, stability and security.
Ministry spokesperson Rear Admiral Zeki Akturk said Türkiye condemned Israeli attacks on civilians in Lebanon and Palestine, noting such actions hinder lasting peace and stability in the region and undermine negotiations nearing completion.
He said Türkiye reiterates that a constructive completion of negotiations by all parties would serve peace, prosperity, and stability in the region and the world.
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