Cyprus and Greece Reject Fidan's Anti-Muslim Alliance Claims, Citing Turkish Occupation
By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Nicosia's Counter
Cyprus's Foreign Ministry published a video on April 20 featuring Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos's recent meetings with counterparts from Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Qatar, alongside representatives of the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The release was a direct response to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's April 19 claim that Cyprus and Greece had "formed an alliance against Muslim countries in the region" through their defense cooperation with Israel.
The ministry's official statement rejected Fidan's characterization and turned the argument around. It said the claims "ignore the continued illegal occupation of Cyprus" and stated that "it is Türkiye itself that illegally occupies sovereign European territory, with tens of thousands of soldiers in an offensive posture."
Athens Responds
Greece's Foreign Ministry issued its own statement on April 20. Greek Foreign Minister Georgios Gerapetritis said Greece "neither suffers from complexes nor defines itself in reference to Türkiye, and will not accept instructions from anyone," according to Tovima. The ministry's formal statement described Greece as a consistent pillar of stability in the region and said its cooperation with Israel and Cyprus is guided by international law and directed at no third country.
What Fidan Said
Fidan made the original remarks at the closing session of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 19. "We are not like Israel. They met with the Greek Cypriot administration and formed an alliance against Muslim countries in the region. We do not do what they do," he said. He cited joint appearances between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides as evidence of what he called the "spirit of the alliance."
Fidan added a separate charge: that Israel "may seek to characterize Türkiye as a new adversary after Iran, as it cannot survive without an enemy." He said Türkiye's reaction to the trilateral arrangement had remained "minimal" to preserve the spirit of bilateral Turkish-Greek dialogue, but warned that Türkiye was monitoring military developments in the region closely.
Netanyahu referenced a "hexagon of alliances" for Israel in February 2026, naming Cyprus as part of that framework. Fidan's Antalya remarks were a direct response to that framing, and came days before French President Emmanuel Macron's scheduled April 24-25 visit to Athens to renew the France-Greece mutual defense pact for another five years, a development Bosphorus News covered in full on April 21.
***Gerapetritis quote sourced via Tovima, paraphrase only. No direct transcript available at time of publication. Kombos video contents reported by Cyprus Mail.