On this day in 1978, Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat announced that Egypt no longer recognizes Spyros Kyprianou as the President of Cyprus. This decision effectively ended diplomatic relations between the two nations.
The declaration followed a tragic incident at Larnaca airport, where ten Egyptian commandos were killed in a gun battle with Greek Cypriot soldiers. The Egyptian forces were attempting to rescue hostages from a Cypriot airliner when the clash occurred.
President Sadat made a strong statement to his troops, saying, “There is no room for us to deal with dwarfs such as these.” He further announced, “Our recognition of him as President of the republic, and he hears me now, is withdrawn as of today.”
The confrontation at the airport saw Egyptian and Cypriot forces exchanging fire, with the fate of the hostages hanging in the balance. This incident has escalated tensions between Egypt and Cyprus, leading to a significant diplomatic fallout.