The European Commission will remain in contact with its counterparts in Cyprus regarding Sunday’s interference incident originating from the airport in Turkish occupied Tymbou, which was confirmed on Monday by the Republic of Cyprus, according to European External Action Service (EEAS) spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Anita Hipper in response to a question by CNA.
‘We have seen the reports and, of course, we are aware of the matter,’ the spokesperson said.
‘On our side, we will look into exactly what happened and, of course, we will remain in contact with our counterparts in Cyprus,’ Hipper added during the European Commission’s midday press briefing.
The Republic of Cyprus confirmed on Monday an incident involving interference with aircraft carrying the Greek, Dutch and French Defence Ministers while en route to Cyprus on Sunday evening to attend an informal EU Defence Ministers meeting.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.