Concerns Over US-Greek Cypriot Defence Pact
Source: North Cyprus News | Online News for North Cyprus
The recent defence agreement between the United States and the Greek Cypriot administration has sparked fears of increased tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, TRT World reported. Signed earlier this month, the pact has been criticised by Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), who warn it could disrupt the fragile balance on the divided island.
Former MP and advisor to the late President Rauf Denktaş, Ismail Bozkurt, expressed his frustration, accusing the US of abandoning its neutrality in favour of the Greek Cypriot side, undermining decades of ceasefire agreements. The island has been divided since ethnic conflicts in the 1960s and Turkey’s military intervention in 1974, which led to the establishment of the TRNC in the north.
Turkey’s Ministry of Defence condemned the deal, calling it a threat to peace efforts and warning it could spark an arms race. They argue the agreement unfairly legitimises the Greek Cypriot administration as the island’s sole representative, further sidelining Turkish Cypriots.
Experts, like Zeliha Khasman of Near East University, note that this shift in US policy, highlighted by the lifting of an arms embargo on Southern Cyprus, marks a fundamental change in the balance of power. Tensions are also rising over maritime disputes and foreign military deployments in the region, adding to the concerns.
Turkish officials insist that any solution to the Cyprus problem must include both communities, warning that excluding the TRNC from negotiations will only escalate instability on the island.
TRT World
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