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Turkiye FM accuses Cyprus of acting as logistics hub for Western arms to Israel

March 7, 2024 at 9:01 pm

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends Extraordinary Session of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on March 05, 2024. [Arda Küçükkaya – Anadolu Agency]

Turkiye’s Foreign Minister has accused Cyprus of acting as a transport and logistics hub for Western weapons being delivered to Israel for its ongoing war on Gaza, months after reports revealed the use of British military bases on the island in assisting Tel Aviv in committing war crimes in the besieged Strip.

Speaking at the extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) earlier this week, Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, stated that “today, an island in the middle of the Mediterranean, directly opposite Gaza, has become a logistics base for weapons and ammunition for Israel.”

He added that “this island still serves this purpose under the name of a humanitarian centre for Gazans. We need to pay attention to such countries.”

Fidan’s comments refer to the increased emergence, in recent months, of military bases in southern Cyprus – primarily British ones, such as RAF Akrotiri – serving as transit sites for arms being delivered to Israel for its ongoing war on Gaza and the Occupation’s war crimes against the Strip’s Palestinian population.

The revelations by news outlets such as Declassified have shed light on the alarming phenomenon of US transports weapons and munitions around Europe and across bases on the continent, with their ultimate destination being Israel, making the deliveries a significant part of Washington’s multi-billion-dollar aid package to Tel Aviv.

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