Amid growing tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean over drilling rights off the coast of Cyprus, a Turkish military drone landed in the occupied part of Cyprus on December 16 after the internationally unrecognised Turkey-backed breakaway government of "Northern Cyprus" approved the use of Famagusta Airport as a base for both unarmed and armed unmanned aerial vehicles.

Tolga Atakan, the transport minister of the secessionist government said the Turkish drones were a countermeasure to the acqui...