Palestinian President Abbas to visit Cyprus at the end of October – Turkish media bristle as Nicosia keeps ties with both sides

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will make an official visit to Cyprus at the end of October, according to Palestine’s ambassador in Nicosia, Abdalla Attari. His remarks were highlighted by Turkish journalist Sefa Karahasan, a former Milliyet correspondent in the occupied areas and now a TRT contributor, in a post on X.

“Abbas’s visit is an important opportunity to further strengthen the historic relations between Palestine and the Republic of Cyprus. The two peoples are linked by bonds of friendship, solidarity and a shared vision of justice and freedom,” said Attari, who is the dean of the diplomatic corps in Cyprus. The ambassador also noted that the Cyprus problem must be solved within the framework of international law, a position that matches that of Nicosia and the United Nations.

The Turkish reading

The Turkish presentation is telling, and entirely different. Karahasan calls the Republic of Cyprus “southern Cyprus” and President Nikos Christodoulides “president of the Greek Cypriot administration”, as is usual in Turkish media, which do not recognise the Republic, a UN member state, because Turkey has occupied its northern part since the 1974 invasion. In September he had relayed Christodoulides’ statement that Abbas “will come to the island so that we discuss what role we can play”.

In the same days the Turkish journalist is promoting, under headlines such as “Greek Cypriot leadership in Israel’s embrace: Turkey the common enemy”, the visit of Cypriot parties to Israel, a cooperation Ankara watches with suspicion. According to his posts, Cypriot parties formed a cooperation group with the Israel Allies Foundation-Europe, whose first meeting was attended by the ambassadors of Israel, the United States and Greece and by Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas.

Nicosia balances

Nicosia seeks to keep good relations with both sides, as defence and energy cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Israel deepens, while Cyprus also remains a gateway for humanitarian aid to Gaza. Turkey, for its part, has made the Palestinian issue a main theme of its foreign policy and is in open confrontation with Israel over its stance towards Hamas. Abbas’s visit to Nicosia gives the Republic of Cyprus an opportunity to show that its relations with Israel are not directed against the Palestinians.