Turkey criticized the US for sending a warship to the divided island of Cyprus this week, accusing Washington of heightening tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.
(Bloomberg) — Turkey criticized the US for sending a warship to the divided island of Cyprus this week, accusing Washington of heightening tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.
The USS Arleigh Burke, a destroyer, visited Limassol on Tuesday.
The US’s move “disrupts the balance” in the region “at the expense of the Turkish Cypriot side” and damages Washington’s “long-standing neutral position as regards the island,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said late on Wednesday.
Turkey Criticizes US Move on Cyprus Security Partnership
Last year, the US lifted a decades-old arms embargo on the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government located in the south of the island. Turkey then pledged to boost the defenses of the Turkish Cypriots in the north — a breakaway republic that’s only recognized by Ankara.
The island has been divided since 1974, when Turkey captured the northern third of the island, saying it intended to protect the minority Turkish Cypriots following an Athens-backed coup.
The latest frictions come less than two weeks ahead of a runoff in Turkey’s presidential election. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who did better than expected in the first round and fell just short of winning another term, will face Kemal Kilicdaroglu on May 28.
During his two decades in power, Erdogan has frequently clashed with Washington, including over his acquisition of Russian air-defense systems.
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