Cyprus is rapidly becoming a military epicentre for the world powers fighting Daesh in Syria as the US-flagged Harry Truman aircraft carrier enters the Eastern Mediterranean to support France’s Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier, which has been in the region since November 17th.

Russia has beefed up its airforce capabilities within Syria after establishing an airbase at Khmeimim airfield and sending the missile cruiser Moskva to patrol off Syria’s coast.

Turkey has moved troops into Iraq, flanking Daesh and the Peshmerga Kurds on the Syria-Iraq border. Tensions between Turkey and Russia remain high after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on the Syria-Turkey border on November 24th. Turkey has occupied Cyprus since 1974, and there’s always the threat of a renewal in hostilities if things get out of hand between Turkey and Russia.

Meanwhile, the UK launched airstrikes against Daesh in Syria from Akrotiri Airbase in Cyprus at the beginning of December.

Cyprus called on by world powers to support military action in E. Med.

The Cyprus government is in talks with Russia and France to provide ports facilities for military rescue missions due to the Syria war, according to information from Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides.

The facilities are for humanitarian and emergency purposes, said the minister.

“The facilities requested by France are also for aircraft returning from operations, if they are in an emergency situation, to be able to land at the airports of Cyprus,” he told the press.

France and Germany already have facilities as part of their role in the United Nations mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), said the minister.

In accordance with international law, Cyprus is obliged to offer facilities to anyone who is in an emergency situation, said Kasoulides.

Cyprus is the closest EU country to the war-torn Syria; as the conflict polarises into a war between Daesh (ISIS), the Syrian armed opposition and the Syrian government military, it is slowly sucking in other countries, including France, Russia, the US, the UK, and Turkey into its maelstrom. Daesh and Assad are doing their best to extend the violence beyond Syria with terrorist attacks on civilians and in other countries, creating millions of refugees who are running away from their merciless battles. Relations between Turkey and Russia have worsened after Turkish F16s downed a Russian Su-24 warplane on the border with Syria, and Ankara has just ordered 600 troops into Iraq, effectively invading another sovereign country with what appears to be the tacit agreement of the US and UK – which control Iraq. Turkey claims to be taking military action to fight against Daesh in Mosul, but has been warned to withdraw by Iraqi President Haider al-Abadi.

At the same time, Daesh’s very mercilessness is creating a united front against them on the international level, as even Russia and the US are working together to bomb their supply lines and cut them off from the outside world.

The turning point was the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13th, when 129 people were murdered in cold blood. Since then, President Francois Hollande has gone to war against Daesh and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier has been in the Eastern Mediterranean since the end of November. On December 4th, Hollande made a flying visit to Cyprus to meet with President Nicos Anastasiades in the old Larnaca Airport for 30 minutes.