Turkey said it condemned this week's signing of a roadmap to boost two-way defence co-operation between the United States and the Republic of Cyprus.
Eleftherias Square, Nicosia © Mena Today
Turkey said it condemned this week's signing of a roadmap to boost two-way defence co-operation between the United States and the Republic of Cyprus.
The move came amid United Nations efforts to find common ground for the resumption of long-stalled negotiations between the rival Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities on the Mediterranean island, which has been divided for decades.
The U.S. steps, including last June's announcement of the launch of a strategic dialogue with Cyprus, are detrimental to the security of the Turkish Cypriot side of the island, the Turkish foreign ministry said.
"These steps ... undermine the neutral USA position towards the island of Cyprus and make it more difficult to reach a just, lasting and sustainable settlement of the Cyprus issue," it said in a statement on Wednesday.
On Monday, the United States and the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus signed the co-operation roadmap in Nicosia.
In a joint statement, their defence ministries reaffirmed their commitment to collaborate to tackle international security concerns via the roadmap.
Cyprus was partitioned in a Turkish invasion in 1974 after a brief Greek-inspired coup. Peace talks have been on hold since 2017.
The Turkish Cypriot side administers a breakaway state in the north of Cyprus recognised only by Ankara. It says a resumption of talks hinges on acceptance of its equal sovereignty with the Greek Cypriot government.
Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu
The mayor of Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city and a bastion of its secular opposition, joined President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party (AKP) on Wednesday, giving it the mayoralty of a city it has never won at the ballot box.
Israelis will on Wednesday mark three years since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a military assault that destroyed much of Gaza, where conditions remain dire despite a year-old ceasefire that is meant to halt the war for good.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Ankara and Istanbul from October 21 to 23, his office said on Tuesday, in what will be the first dedicated bilateral visit to NATO ally Turkey by a Canadian leader.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.