Cyprus welcomes US lifting of arms embargo and Turkey condemns

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades on Saturday welcomed the United States' decision to lift an arms embargo on the divided island since the 1970s, while the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned Washington's decision.

"This is a historic decision that reflects the growing strategic relations between the two countries, including in the field of security," the Cypriot president said in a tweet on his Twitter account.

On Friday, the US State Department announced that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken would lift arms trade restrictions on Cyprus for the 2023 fiscal year.

Ukraine war

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that with the complete lifting of the US arms embargo, Cyprus is expected to continue its cooperation with the United States, particularly by "continuing to take the necessary measures to prevent Russian military ships from accessing ports for refueling and maintenance," against the backdrop of Russian war on Ukraine.

Washington imposed an arms embargo on the whole of Cyprus in 1987, in the hope of encouraging the reunification of the island, which has been divided since the Turkish forces took control of its northern part in 1974, in response to a coup carried out by Greek Cypriot nationalists who wanted to annex the island to Greece.

Through an arms embargo on Cyprus, the United States had hoped to prevent an arms race and encourage a peaceful settlement between the island's Greek majority and Turkish minority.

Through the arms embargo, the United States hoped to prevent an arms race and encourage a peaceful settlement between the Greek majority and the Turkish minority on the island of Cyprus.

Ankara condemnation

In exchange for Nicosia's welcome, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said - in a statement - that Washington's decision "contradicts the principle of equality between the two sides, and will lead to an arms race on the island, which will harm peace and stability in the eastern Mediterranean."

Ankara added that the US decision "will increase the intransigence of the Greek side of Cyprus, and negatively affect efforts to re-settlement the Cyprus issue."

Ankara recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, located in the north of the island, and is the only country in the world to recognize it, while the United Nations and other member states recognize the Greek-majority Republic of Cyprus.