Türkiye Rejects Greek Cypriot NOTAM Over Eastern Mediterranean

By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk

Türkiye's Defense Ministry rejected a Greek Cypriot aviation notice in the Eastern Mediterranean as invalid, saying the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognized only by Türkiye, had issued a counter-NOTAM against it.

The ministry said the Greek Cypriot side periodically raises aviation-notification issues that ignore Turkish Cypriot rights and create authority confusion around the island. It described the notice issued by the Republic of Cyprus government as "null and void."

The dispute adds another layer to Ankara's Cyprus security file, where Turkish officials are linking airspace-related claims, third-country military access and Greek Cypriot armament to Türkiye's guarantor role under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee.

The ministry said the Greek Cypriot side had allowed arms build-up on the island in recent years and permitted other countries to use Cyprus for military purposes, arguing that these steps risk turning the island into a target.

Türkiye will continue taking additional measures as a guarantor country for the security of the TRNC and the island as a whole, the ministry said.

The statement comes as Cyprus has moved back to the front of Ankara's Eastern Mediterranean security agenda before the NATO summit in Ankara. For Türkiye, the NOTAM dispute now sits alongside military access, air defence, armament and the political status of Turkish Cypriot rights on the island.

Sources: Türkiye's Defense Ministry, Anadolu Agency, Bosphorus News review and reporting.