Turkey sends armed drone to N Cyprus amid gas dispute

A Turkish military drone was delivered to northern Cyprus on Monday amid growing tensions over Turkey's deal with Libya that extended its claims to the gas-rich eastern Mediterranean.

The Bayraktar TB2 drone landed at Gecitkale Airport in Famagusta around 0700 GMT, an AFP correspondent said, after the breakaway northern Cyprus government approved the use of the airport for unmanned aerial vehicles.

It followed a deal signed last month between Libya and Turkey that could prove crucial in the scramble for recently discovered gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean. The agreement claimed extensive areas of the sea for Turkey, undercutting claims by Greece and the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus, which runs the southern part of the island.