The Foreign Ministry condemned a recent roadmap on defense cooperation signed between the U.S. and the Greek Cypriot administration, saying that Washington’s action undermines its neutral stance and regional stability.
In a statement, the ministry said it backs the position of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on the issue.
The ministry noted that the steps taken by American authorities harm the security of TRNC and make it more difficult to come to a just, lasting and sustainable solution to the Cyprus question.
“Within this framework, we believe that policies that could undermine regional stability should be reconsidered,” the ministry said, adding that Ankara would continue to ensure the security and prosperity of Turkish Cypriots as the guarantor state.
The U.S. and Greek Cypriot administration inked a roadmap to boost defense cooperation.
Washington enacted an arms embargo on Greek Cyprus in 1987 to prevent a potential arms race from harming peace talks with Turkish Cypriots but lifted it last year.
Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.
In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was founded in 1983.
It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the U.K.
