The powerful high-tensile scream of a warplane flying over Limassol and Paphos at 1:30pm broke the peaceful quiet of the national holiday marking OXI Day against the backdrop of regional tensions between Greece and Turkey. We could hear the jet loudly overhead but by the time we came out of the house in our village just outside Limassol to photograph it the plane had moved too fast and was long gone, leaving the echoes of its engines ringing in our ears.
Authorities told me that they were informed about the warplane, which they said is conducting exercises. The plane was not part of the military parades taking place around the island.
“It’s from a friendly country, they had all the permits for the exercise, I can’t say anything more,” said the duty officer in Limassol.
“We’re informed about the plane, there’s nothing to worry about,” said the Limassol police spokesperson.
The authorities refused to confirm which country the jet is from, but the context of tensions between our neighbors Greece and Turkey cannot be ignored. Ever since Turkish premier Erdogan declared a national state of emergency, moved troops into Syria, Iraq and started questioning the Lausanne Treaty defining the borders with Greece, the military and political tensions keep rising.
Israel, Greece and Russia all have a military presence here and are allowed to use Cyprus’ airspace in addition to landing their planes at the Andreas Papandreou airbase.
What’s worrying is that Erdogan is not backing down over the state of emergency and has extended it further after the coup attempt while becoming more and more belligerent on the military front. It has long been Turkey’s ambition to expand in the region and take territory when they get the chance. Cyprus has been occupied by Turkish troops since 1974, for example.
Turkish expansionism in the Eastern Mediterranean is in direct conflict with Russia’s determination to maintain its control over the Tartus naval base and its strategic military position in Syria.
The aircraft carrier Admiral Kusnetsov is in the E. Med. at the moment, and the warplane that buzzed Cyprus could also have come from there. Russian President Vladimir Putin could be sending a message to Erdogan that he is still a strong ally to Greece and Cyprus.
The French aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle is also in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of the international coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq.
While the authorities won’t give any more information on the identity of the warplane, the strongest possibilities are that it was either Greece or Russia sending an unscheduled warning message to Turkey.