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Greek F-16 fighter jets and a Greek Navy warship are now permanently deployed in Greek Cyprus, Greek Cypriot administration Defense Minister Vassilis Palmas said, months after describing the deployment as "temporary."
Palmas said Athens and the Greek Cypriot administration (GCA) had moved "from slogans to political practice" in defense cooperation and that new defense deals with Israel were planned, according to Greek media.
"Now in Cyprus there is a permanent presence of F-16 fighter planes. At the same time, a ship of the Hellenic Navy is permanently in Cyprus," Palmas told the DEFENCE ReDEFiNED website in Thessaloniki, where he attended Oct. 28 commemorations.
Palmas later clarified that Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration have not signed any agreement providing for a permanent presence of F-16s or warships on the island.
He added that the "prolonged" Turkish presence combined with geopolitical fluidity in the Eastern Mediterranean makes "a continuous presence of Greek weapons systems on the island desirable."
The presence is maintained through rotations of personnel and assets, with crews, aircraft and warships replaced according to operational needs, he said.
In June, Palmas said the deployment was temporary and that neither an extension nor a permanent presence had been discussed, with long-term decisions depending on the regional situation. Palmas said a new contract was signed Oct. 26 to acquire an offshore patrol vessel from Israel, and that other armament programs planned for the Greek Cypriot National Guard also come from Israel.
Greece sent two F-16s and a warship to the island in March after an Iranian kamikaze drone struck a British base in Greek Cyprus.
Türkiye then deployed six F-16s and air defense systems to Ercan Airport in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
"As part of the phased approach to enhancing the security of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in light of recent developments in our region, six F-16 fighter aircraft and air defense systems have been deployed to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as of today," the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on March 9. "Additional measures will continue to be taken based on further developments, if deemed necessary."
Under reciprocity, Turkish jets are also expected to remain in the TRNC permanently.
Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite U.N. efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots. The TRNC was founded in 1983.
The Greek Cypriot administration joined the European Union in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots blocked a U.N. plan to end the dispute. A 2017 initiative in Switzerland under guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece and the United Kingdom failed.
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