Northern Cyprus calls on US to end its ‘partisan attitude’ on Cyprus issue

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has called on the US to end its "partisan attitude" on the Cyprus issue.

"We call on the US, which we now see as an open party in the Cyprus issue, to act with common sense; to put an end to its efforts to change the delicate balances in the region and to end its partisan stance on Cyprus," a statement by TRNC's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"The 'port visits' made by the US Navy warships to the Greek Cypriot administration of Southern Cyprus, the steps taken to advance the 'strategic partnership' between the two sides, and the annual renewal of the US decision to lift the arms embargo on the Greek Cypriot administration of Southern Cyprus are clear indicators of the US's biased support for the Greek Cypriots, especially in recent time," the ministry said.

Stressing the TRNC highlighted "dangers" that such moves could pose on regional balances, it said: "The US continues its biased support for the Greek Cypriots, despite all the risks involved."

It also expressed readiness "for any threat that may arise against the Turkish Cypriot people," adding that the TRNC reserves the right to take necessary steps together with Türkiye.

The US and Greek Cypriot administration have signed a roadmap on defense cooperation.

The agreement was signed by the administration’s Defense Minister Vassilis Palmas and US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander at a ceremony in Nicosia (Lefkosa).

Türkiye on Wednesday also condemned the signing of the agreement.

The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts 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 TRNC was founded in 1983. July 20, the anniversary of the operation, is celebrated yearly in the TRNC as Peace and Freedom Day.

The Greek Cypriot administration was admitted to the European Union in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.

Türkiye fully supports a two-state solution on the island of Cyprus based on sovereign equality and equal international status.