Poland and Spain withdraw from Turkish military exercise over northern Cyprus presence

Poland and Spain have pulled their personnel from a Turkish-led military exercise over the presence of troops from the breakaway entity in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, military sources have said.

The exercise, named Anatolian Phoenix, is being held from June 6 to 16 in the Turkish interior.

A statement from the Turkish Defense on June 9 said that, in addition to personnel from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Poland and Spain, representatives from the so-called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” were attending.

On the instruction of the Defense Ministry in Athens, the Spanish and Polish defense attachés in Ankara were informed about their participation in an exercise involving the breakaway entity.

Representations were also made by the government of Cyprus.

They replied that they were participating as observers and that none of the meetings held for the exercise mentioned that the breakaway entity would be participating.

The defense ministers of Spain and Poland then ordered the withdrawal of their observers from the exercise.