A trilateral plan for military cooperation between Cyprus, Greece and Israel, along with two bilateral cooperation plans between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Hellenic Armed Forces, and between the IDF and the Cypriot National Guard, were signed in Cyprus last week.

The agreements were signed in Nicosia during the annual joint meeting of the three countries' military staffs and were officially announced by the IDF, drawing a largely positive response from both the domestic media and the public in Cyprus.

While the details of the agreements have not been made public, DW has learned that they include provisions for joint exercises and training, the establishment of working groups in specialized areas and the development of a strategic military dialogue.

According to the same sources, the agreements also provide for the exchange of expertise on modern security threats, such as unmanned systems and electronic warfare.

Trilateral cooperation a new alliance?

The announcement of the military cooperation effectively implements the political decision taken by the leaders of the three countries, Benjamin Netanyahu, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Nikos Christodoulides, during the 10th trilateral summit between Israel, Greece and Cyprus on December 22.

Summarizing the joint communique issued after the meeting in Jerusalem, Cypriot President Christodoulides stated at the time that the three countries had decided to deepen their cooperation "with a focus on energy, defense and security," referring to "agreements that will immediately move to the implementation stage."

Speaking to DW, Zenonas Tziarras, lecturer at the department of Turkish and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Cyprus, noted that trilateral cooperation among the three countries is not new and that the first such summit took place in 2016.

Emphasizing that Greece, Cyprus and Israel have been cooperating in these fields for years, Tziarras stressed that despite the long-standing tendency of political leaders to overstate the outcomes of these meetings, it should be clear that "military, defense and security cooperation does not in itself constitute an alliance."

"A genuine alliance," added Tziarras, "primarily entails a commitment to collective defense, whereby an attack on one state is considered an attack on all. The current trilateral cooperation is therefore an 'alliance' in name only."

Turkey's concern over arms procurement from Israel

The absence of tangible outcomes capable of altering the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean may also help explain Turkey's relatively restrained reaction following the announcement of the agreements.

In fact, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — in contrast to pro-government Turkish media outlets that described the cooperation as an "anti-Turkish axis of evil" — adopted a notably moderate tone, stating that the initiatives of the three countries "carry no real weight," likening them to "empty noise, like a rattling tin can."

What appears to concern Turkey more than the trilateral agreements themselves is the fact that Greece and Cyprus are increasingly turning toward Israel for the procurement of advanced weapons systems.

In the case of Cyprus in particular, Ankara has issued strong warnings that arms purchases from Israel could lead to destabilization on the island.

The island of Cyprus has been divided into the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) since a Turkish military intervention in 1974. The northern part of the island is under Turkish military control and is administered by the institutions of the TRNC.

Turkey's opposition to new defense system

Turkey's reaction was particularly sharp last September, when the Israeli-made Barak MX air defense system was installed and became operational in the Republic of Cyprus.

The system's capabilities are comparable to Israel's Iron Dome air defense system. Although the purchase was part of the Cypriot government's decision to gradually replace Russian-made equipment, which can no longer be maintained since sanctions were imposed on Russia in the wake of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, it also aligns with the country's broader "Western orientation" and stated intention to pursue NATO membership.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry described the deployment of the system as a threat to regional stability. It warned that "the policies of the Greek Cypriot side undermine stability and peace in the region and risk triggering an arms race on the island."

A similar reaction is expected regarding the implementation of a separate agreement between the Cypriot and Israeli defense ministries for the purchase from Israeli company Elbit of an integrated surveillance system intended to monitor the "Green Line," the UN-controlled buffer zone that has divided Cyprus since 1974, separating areas under the control of the Republic of Cyprus in the south from the Turkish-controlled northern part of the island.

Installation of the system remains pending due to the war in Gaza, although Cypriot army officers have already undergone training in Israel for its operation.

Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan