Greece will have operational control over missiles

GREECE said yesterday it would have operational control over anti-aircraft missiles that Cyprus ordered from Russia but is now diverting to Crete following Turkish threats of military action.

“The missiles remain in the possession of the Cypriot state. Greece will control their operation and of course will take over the operating costs of this system,” government spokesman Dimitris Reppas told reporters.

Cyprus formally signed over the controversial S-300 missiles on Monday.

Details of the deal, signed by Greek Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos and his visiting Cypriot counterpart Yannakis Chrysostomis, were not released.

“The two governments will be in full communication and will jointly decide in which ways this weapons system will be used,” Reppas said.

Tsohatzopoulos told reporters before the private signing that the missiles would be installed on Crete as part of a joint defence pact with Cyprus.

“Greece guarantees the security of Cyprus,” he said. “This is the basis of all our efforts.”

He said Cypriot and Greek officials would go to Moscow on Monday to iron out logistical details with the Russian makers.

Greek media reported that the missiles would be installed at the easternmost tip of Crete.

Cyprus ordered the S-300s some two years ago but agreed to divert them to Greece in December after threats from Turkey and pressure from Washington and the EU, which hinted that the row was hurting Cyprus’s chances of joining the EU.

Turkey has also expressed concern about the installation of the missiles on Crete, which lies about 550 km northwest of Cyprus.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.