The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reacted strongly to a statement made by the Greek Cypriot Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides that he saw Cyprus as a Greek island.

The Ministry said that the Greek Cypriot administration had stepped up its armament campaign on the island and that motherland Türkiye would continue to protect the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriot people.

In a written statement issued on Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs slammed the latest remarks made by the Greek Cypriot Defence Minister Charalambos Petridis during an event he attended.

Petrides was reported as saying that he saw Cyprus as a Greek island and that they planned to expel Turkish Cypriots from cities and villages.

The statement said that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) advocated the creation of constructive cooperation between two sovereign and equal states on the basis of the principle of good neighbourly relations.        “Nevertheless, the Greek Cypriot administration is speedily transforming the island into a weapons depot,” the statement read.

The ministry said that the Greek Cypriot administration was trying to blame motherland Türkiye for the rising tensions on the island and the region in an attempt to conceal its armament efforts.

The statement added that the Greek Cypriot Defence Ministry which even offered weapons training to the Greek Cypriot clergy continued to erect placements along the border for heavy weapons.

“It is clear that the Greek Cypriot administration is the only cause for the rising of tensions in Cyprus and the surrounding region,” the statement said, adding that Türkiye will continue to protect the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriot people on the island.