Ertugruloglu claims Israel intends to occupy Aegean islands and Cyprus

Tahsin Ertugruloglu, the foreign minister of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, has publicly criticized reported scenarios suggesting that Israel may lease Greek islands to relocate its citizens. In an interview with the Turkish Anadolu Agency, Ertugruloglu characterized these rumored plans as a continuation of a historical occupation strategy, likening them to the occupation of Palestine. He argued that such an initiative is designed to surround both Turkey and Northern Cyprus. Furthermore, he labeled this alleged mentality as defective and warned that such actions by Israel should be considered a casus belli, or cause for war. He explicitly claimed that there are ambitions to occupy Cyprus and islands in the Aegean Sea. The official described these actions as an attempt to repeat geopolitical strategies from the early 1900s. No official confirmation of these leasing scenarios has been provided by the governments of Israel or Greece.