Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has accused Cyprus and Israel of attempting to strategically encircle Turkey, in a pointed escalation of rhetoric ahead of his appearance at the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Monday.
Speaking to the Turkish broadcaster Ulke TV, Fidan claimed that “the Republic of Cyprus, in cooperation with Israel, is seeking to surround Turkey”. He added that Ankara has formally conveyed its objections to the relevant international actors.
Fidan also alleged that Cyprus was “one of the few countries that hosted the genocide in Gaza,” referring to Israel’s ongoing military operations.
Fidan confirmed that he would meet with his Greek counterpart, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, during the Luxembourg meeting, stating that Athens had already requested bilateral talks.
The interview also saw Fidan respond to recent remarks by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who had spoken against Turkey’s participation in the EU's security framework SAFE (Strategic Compass for Security and Defence). Fidan criticised Mitsotakis’ statements in the Greek Parliament, describing them as evidence that “Europe’s security system has been hijacked by one or two countries like Greece.”
He added that such countries have “no real connection to Europe’s security”, and accused them of acting out of narrow national interests rather than collective defence concerns.
Calling for mutual respect, Fidan urged Athens to show “the same maturity” that Ankara displayed in 1980 when it allowed Greece’s reintegration into NATO’s military command structure - a moment he framed as significant in the broader history of European security cooperation.
On regional issues, the Turkish Foreign Minister also addressed the long-standing Aegean dispute between Greece and Turkey, suggesting that “the Aegean is not a problem that cannot be solved."