Türkiye Uses Denizkurdu-II Stage to Answer France-Cyprus Deal and Greek Harassment Claim
By Bosphorus News Defense Desk
Türkiye used the deck of TCG Anadolu on June 11 to send a wider Eastern Mediterranean message, combining its largest naval exercise with sharp responses to a French-Cypriot military agreement and a Greek media claim about alleged air harassment.
The Ministry of National Defense held its weekly press briefing aboard TCG Anadolu in the Gulf of Antalya during the Distinguished Observer Day of Denizkurdu-II. The setting gave the briefing its political weight. Türkiye was not only presenting a naval exercise; it was speaking from its largest naval platform while Cyprus, the Aegean and regional airspace disputes were all active.
Denizkurdu-II is being held from June 4 to 14 across the Black Sea, the Marmara Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean. MSB said the exercise is designed to test naval command and control, improve decision-making in a multi-threat environment and strengthen joint procedures with other force commands.
The ministry said 125 ships, 60 air assets, unmanned naval vehicles and 18,000 personnel are taking part. It also said the Distinguished Observer Day programme would include firings of the nationally produced AKYA heavy-class warfare torpedo and the ATMACA guided anti-ship missile.
The exercise will continue with a visible port-visit phase. Between June 12 and 14, 32 ships are scheduled to make 19 port visits across the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Bosphorus News had already placed the day's developments inside a wider Eastern Mediterranean security map, from the France-Cyprus military agreement to Denizkurdu-II and the Ankara-Athens channel. The MSB briefing added the official military layer to that picture.
France-Cyprus deal draws Turkish warning
The ministry gave one of its strongest responses to the Status of Forces Agreement signed between France and the Greek Cypriot administration.
MSB said it was closely following what it called a provocation aimed at disturbing stability and increasing tension in the Eastern Mediterranean. It said France has no guarantor status on Cyprus and described the agreement as an attempt to change the island's sensitive balance unilaterally.
The ministry said the deal ignores the will and sovereign equal rights of Turkish Cypriots and violates the 1960 Cyprus Treaties and international law. It warned that steps taken without considering their consequences could create dangerous results for the island's south.
MSB also said any military alliance that ignores the region's sensitive balances and targets the rights and interests of Türkiye and the TRNC has no chance of success against Türkiye.
"As a guarantor country, we will continue to protect the rights and interests of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and ensure its security, as we did yesterday and as we do today," the ministry said.
It added that the Turkish Armed Forces have the "power and determination" to give the strongest response to hostile attitudes threatening Turkish Cypriot security.
Greek harassment claim rejected
MSB also rejected claims in Greek media that Turkish aircraft had harassed planes carrying the Greek defense minister and European ministers.
The ministry called the claims "organized and deliberately provocative" and said they did not reflect the truth. It said Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration have carried out activities that ignore the rights and interests of the TRNC and sometimes violate TRNC airspace.
According to MSB, six air traffic movements took place on the Greece-Greek Cypriot administration route on June 7, and four of them violated TRNC airspace. The ministry said two F-16 aircraft on quick reaction alert in the TRNC were immediately launched as a precaution.
The aircraft operated over TRNC airspace, did not violate Greek Cypriot airspace and did not harass the traffic in question, MSB said.
The statement places the airspace dispute directly inside the wider Cyprus security file. It also gives the Denizkurdu-II briefing a sharper meaning: Türkiye was answering the Greek claim while showcasing naval scale and national strike systems in the same week.
Wider exercise schedule
The briefing also showed the scale of Türkiye's military activity beyond Denizkurdu-II.
MSB said Türkiye is participating in Strike Back in Bulgaria, Baltops in Latvia and Poland, Live Minex in Japan, Ramstein Flag in Norway, Sweden and Finland, Sea Breeze-I in Romania and NATO's Coalition Warrior Interoperability Exercise in Poland.
A Türkiye-Egypt bilateral air exercise is also being held in Egypt from June 4 to 17, while air defense command and control exercises in Türkiye and the TRNC ended on June 11.
The ministry said the Türkiye-Azerbaijan-Georgia Kafkas Kartalı special forces exercise is planned in Georgia from June 15 to 25, while Türkiye is also set to join the Eurasian Partnership Mine Countermeasures Invitational Exercise in Romania from June 15 to 19.
The 10th activation of the MCM Black Sea mine countermeasures task group, created under Türkiye's leadership against the mine threat in the Black Sea, will be held in the western Black Sea from June 13 to 23.
MSB also said TCG Oruçreis, serving with NATO Standing Maritime Group-1, will visit Norfolk in the United States from June 14 to 21 before joining events for the 250th anniversary of the US Navy from July 2 to 7.
The ministry said TCG Burgazada will make a port visit to Catania in Italy from June 17 to 19 for Belgian Navy Day, while Italian and Bangladeshi naval vessels will make port visits to Aksaz and Mersin between June 12 and 16.
Iran-US/Israel conflict
The ministry also linked the Eastern Mediterranean file to the wider regional crisis.
Asked about the Iran-US/Israel conflict, MSB said attacks should end, renewed clashes would benefit no side and diplomacy should remain the path for resolving the crisis.
***Sources: Turkish Ministry of National Defense, Bosphorus News Reporting.