NICOSIA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Cypriot National Guard held an unannounced military exercise with the participation of Greek fighter-bombers for the first time in 20 years, amid rising tensions with Turkey, state television reported on Thursday.
State television, which beamed live video from the exercise area, said three F-16 planes made simulated attacks on moving and stationary targets and overflew the drill area.
National Guard helicopters which made use of anti-tank and anti-aircraft rockets as well as artillery took part in the exercise dubbed Steel Arrow.
Greece is one of the three guarantor powers of Cyprus, along with Turkey and the United Kingdom, and is also tied in a defense alliance with Cyprus.
Tensions between Cyprus and its northern neighbor Turkey are running high since Turkish drillships have started drilling in areas which the eastern Mediterranean island demarcated in agreement with Egypt, Israel and Lebanon as its exclusive economic zone, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Turkey, however, claims part of the Cypriot exclusive economic zone as its own continental shelf and states that natural gas drilling and exploitation in the eastern Mediterranean cannot be made without its participation.
Cypriot Defense Minister Savvas Angelides said after watching the exercise that the presence of planes from Greece is not a message of provocation but a message for respecting the dignity and sovereign rights of Cyprus.
He added that the Cypriot government is moving on all fronts to deal with what he called Turkish provocations with diplomatic and political means.
The Council of the European Union, which has already denounced Turkish drilling as illegal and in violation of Cyprus's sovereign rights meets on Thursday in Brussels and is expected to put its stamp on measures against Turkey.
The sanctions, decided by EU foreign ministers earlier this week, are targeting individuals and companies involved in the drilling operations.
