Greek Cypriot to hold substantial military excercises

brother

Greek Cypriot to hold substantial military excercises despite international pressure not to including Greece who does not want to be involved.

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=25671

So tell me what this is in aid off, to show the Turkish Cypriot goodwill????

Show Turkey how powerful the mighty national guard is???????

Your need for an aggressive showing???????

The need to antagonise all for the sake of keeping your nationalistic bordering racist persons in the south happy???????

Please someone tell me what is the reason and what purpose it will serve, i and many others internationally would really like to know as for a state that is seeking peace you damn well are not acting like it.

garbitsch · Mukhtar/is Joined: 09 Oct 2005 Posts: 767 Location: Cyprus

Well said bro'

boulio · Senior Villager Joined: 09 Oct 2005 Posts: 294

It takes two to tango brother,I don't see Turkey reducing her troop strenght do you?

brother · Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 4:10 pm Post subject:

cannedmoose · Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 4:38 pm Post subject:

To be honest I don't think staging Nikiforos is a positive step, nor do I see it as aggressive posturing either. The leadership of the Republic of Cyprus is well aware that the NG is no match for Turkish forces, at least in any conventional scenario. I think it's surprising that Nikiforos is continuing when the Greeks have called Toxitis (I think that's what their joint exercise is called), so I'm really not sure what Nikiforos is testing, since in any feasible situation, the joint defence protocol between Greece and the Republic of Cyprus would be enacted and Republic of Cyprus forces would be interoperable with those of Greece. What a lone exercise achieves in this respect I can't see.

I haven't heard what scenario is planned for the exercise, perhaps it will be one based upon a natural disaster, or maintenance of civil order, rather than practising for a conventional military situation. I certainly hope so, as this would be a prudent and non-aggressive exercise in that case...

Still, given that it's a number of years since the previous exercise, and rustiness can be expected, we should all hope that since live ammo will probably be used in some areas, that none of the reservists or regulars are injured or killed in this.

I agree with Bro' that as a statement to the Turkish Cypriots, it's far from a positive step. Even if it is conducted as a civil/military operation, it will still be depicted in aggressive terms by the authorities and media in the north. Increasing fear and suspicion resulting, it would be better if it didn't take place at all. It will also only encourage the Turkish forces to conduct a similar exercise in the near future.

boulio · Senior Villager Joined: 09 Oct 2005 Posts: 294

and what about the Turkish military in the north brother,all 40,000 of them?i don't see it as a cheap shot at all,please try being objective you cannot say "oh the Republic of Cyprus is having military exercises that's a great sigh of rapprochement towards the t/c"and at the same time condone having 40,000 troops in the north.

cannedmoose · Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 4:41 pm Post subject:

brother · Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 4:59 pm Post subject:

boulio · Senior Villager Joined: 09 Oct 2005 Posts: 294

if you want disengagement brother then the Turks must make steps as well that's my point,the reason for the military exercises are the 40,000 troops in the north.

brother · Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 5:05 pm Post subject:

boulio · Senior Villager Joined: 09 Oct 2005 Posts: 294

as are the t/c brother with Cyprus in the EU the t/c are safeguarded no?why the need for 40,000 troops?

brother · Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 5:12 pm Post subject:

brother · Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 4:52 pm Post subject:

Well despite continues pressure tassos and his parliment of idiots are going ahead with this exercise, this truely indicates his desire to alienate the Turkish Cypriot community.

brother · Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 5:09 pm Post subject:

Turkey is preparing to flex its military muscles in the occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus
Istanbul NTV television (15.10.05) broadcast the following:

The Greek Cypriot administration in south Cyprus has decided to hold military exercises, code named Nikiforos, from 18 to 23 October. Turkey is preparing to react by holding a separate military exercise in the northern part of the island.

The Greek Cypriot administration in south Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus [occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus] suspended their military exercises in accordance with the initiatives made by Britain and the United States in 2001. However, the Greek Cypriot administration recently disclosed that it will hold the Nikiforos exercises, which it suspended for four years.

Greece supported the Nikiforos exercises in the past, but it has been reported that it will not participate in them this year.

The Greek Cypriot administration will hold the exercises from 18 to 23 October. Considering the development, Turkey has started to prepare for its exercises in the north, code named Toros.

A military exercise will be held in the KKTC (occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus) if the Greek Cypriot administration holds the Nikiforos exercises. The Turkish side's exercises will be coordinated by the Turkish Cypriot Security Forces Command.

According to the diplomatic sources, the Greek Cypriot administration is trying to influence Turkey's talks with the EU by creating tension on the island.

http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/tcpr/2005/05-10-17.tcpr.html

brother · Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 1:17 pm Post subject:

Cyprus without Greece in Nikiforos
By Constantine Markides

THE GREEK army contingent in Cyprus, ELDYK, announced it would not be participating in this year’s Nikiforos military exercises, raising more questions about how unified the Unified Defence Dogma between Cyprus and Greece really is.

The news came soon after Greece announced that it would not be conducting the Greek sister exercises, Toxotis, which in the past took place in tandem with Nikiforos.

The exercises have not taken place for the last three years due to outside pressure, primarily from Greece, to reduce tensions between Cyprus and Turkey.

Nikiforos, the National Guard’s largest annual military exercises, started yesterday and will finish on Sunday. According to the Defence Minister, 90 per cent of the reservists will participate in the defensive and offensive exercises, which are designed to respond to an invasion. All of the National Guard’s firepower will be incorporated in the exercises, including for the first time Russian MI-35 combat helicopters.

Cyprus National Guard spokesman Yiannis Patsalides rejected claims made in yesterday’s Simerini newspaper that Greece was withholding the Greek contingent from the military exercises because of pressure coming from the United States, saying that it was only “because Toxotis was cancelled this year”.

Patsalides also rejected the notion that Greece’s absence signalled an end to the Unified Defence Dogma between Greece and Cyprus, saying that they were “just a set of exercises”. He also said he was not aware of reports that the Greek Under Secretary of Defence had declined an invitation to observe the Nikiforos exercises.

It appears that, unlike in past years, no high officials in the Greek military will attend any of the Nikiforos ceremonies. The highest official who will be attending Nikiforos is the Russian Undersecretary of Defence, Mikhail Dimitriev.

On Monday Turkish TV network NTV reported that Turkey would conduct its own military exercises in response to the National Guard’s decision, with military exercises ‘Barbarosa’ to take place in the occupied north and ‘Taurus’ to take place in Turkey.

It was also reported that several armed Turkish jets infringed on Cypriot territory last week on a reconnaissance mission. The military spokesman confirmed that several armed Turkish jets crossed the Green Line and flew over Paphos and then back towards Rizokarpaso. “We filed a complaint. What else do you want us to do, shoot them down?”

The Chief of the Greek army contingent in Cyprus said that the Unified Defence Dogma was as strong as ever, claiming that “if anything happened, then of course, Greece would participate.”

The ELDYK chief went on to downplay that the Greek contingency was not participating in the exercises, even suggesting that the event talking place this week is primarily a media event and that ELDYK “conducts such exercises regularly.”
“Nikiforos exercises take place every year. It’s just that the event for the media hasn’t taken place over the last few years.” Referring to the last three years, when Nikiforos was cancelled, he said that “the exercise has taken place, but the media hasn’t attended.”

Seven soldiers injured on day one of Nikiforos

Seven reservists were injured yesterday morning during the first day of the Nikiforos exercises when a ‘Leonidas’ armored vehicle overturned on the Psevdas to Mofiloti road. The seven reservists, between the ages of 23 and 33, were transported to Larnaca General Hospital for treatment. Director of the First Aid Department Androulla Christodoulidou characterised their conditions as non-critical and said that it has not yet been decided whether the reservists would stay in the hospital for 24 hours. The National Guard is investigating the causes behind the crash.

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/