Cyprus, because the US decision on sanctions angers Turkey

The United States has decided to lift the decades-old arms embargo on Cyprus. President of Cyprus Nikos Anastasiades It hailed the US’s “historic” decision after decades of US control over the Mediterranean island.

Washington has stipulated that Nicosia continue to block Russian warships from entering its ports. A feature that puts the dimension of the game at risk – at a point where the conflict between the US and Russia is tense and wide-ranging, it is linked to a launched invasion. Vladimir Putin In Ukraine.

Turkey strongly condemned the US decision, which occupies and controls the northern part of the island – where the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is located.

A US embargo was imposed on the entire territory of Cyprus in 1987, hoping to reunify the island through an armed blockade – split by the Turkish military’s invasion of the north in 1974. Dialogue and the calming process.

That never happened, the US Secretary of State. Anthony Blinken, lifted restrictions on Friday. “We strongly condemn the expansion of the scope of the US decision to lift the arms embargo against the Greek Cypriot administration in September 2020. […] This decision is contrary to the principle of equality between the two parties and will further strengthen the instability of the Greek Cypriot side, negatively affect efforts to reset the Cyprus issue and lead to an armed conflict on the island. “Peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean” is at stake, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Ankara is nervous. The decision to impose economic sanctions on Cyprus is linked to a more friendly relationship with Turkey taken by the US Congress. On Capitol Hill, there is a growing trend of blaming Azerbaijan for what is happening in Nagorno-Karabakh. For Ankara this is a hostile reading of the crisis, as it views Baku as a fraternal ally and wants Washington to further support its demands.