Turkey has occupied northern Cyprus since 1974, ostensibly to protect the Turkish Muslims there from attacks from the Greek Orthodox Christians. Those attacks were not, of course, really happening. And now Turkey’s Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, has threatened that Turkey may renew its jihad in Cyprus: “We are at the same point in Cyprus that we were in 1974. No one should doubt that we will do what we did then if we have a similar situation today.”
Sure. Because it is part of the Turkey’s new jihadist expansionism. Cyprus was a goal of the warriors of jihad from the very beginning. As The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS shows, jihadis first conquered Cyprus in 649, and the island was thereafter a point of contention between the forces of Islam and those of Christian Europe for centuries. In 1571, the Ottoman Sultan Selim the Sot ordered a new jihad conquest of Cyprus because his favorite wine was made there, and he had drunk through all his stores of it. This course of action didn’t work out so well for Selim. Find out why in The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS.
“Akar renews Cyprus invasion threat,” Ekathimerini, August 30, 2019:
Reiterating remarks he made earlier in the month, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar suggested Friday that Turkey will not hesitate to invade Cyprus again.
“We are at the same point in Cyprus that we were in 1974. No one should doubt that we will do what we did then if we have a similar situation today,” he reportedly said during an event marking the 97th anniversary of the end of the 1922 Greek-Turkish war, which is celebrated in Turkey as Victory Day.
He also expressed Turkey’s determination to continue activities in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean.
“We will never back down from our rights and interests,” Akar said, warning that no one should test Turkey’s power and resolve, before seeking to clarify that this should not be viewed as a threat.
At the same time, Turkey issued another navigational telex (Navtex) yesterday reserving areas from September 4 to November 1 within Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for gas exploration by the Fatih drillship.
Meanwhile, Cyprus said yesterday that it will resort to the European Council to preempt plans by Turkish Cypriots in the occupied north of the island to develop the fenced-off town of Varosha.
On Thursday, the so-called foreign minister of the self-declared entity in the north, which is only recognized by Turkey, opened up the Greek Cypriot town to some 40 Turkish and Turkish Cypriot journalists, telling them he wants to “turn it into Las Vegas.”
Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides denounced the move yesterday, saying it was an affront to residents who were forced to flee in the 1974 Turkish invasion.