Complete lifting of the arms embargo in Cyprus: Satisfaction in Nicosia and Athens, embarrassment in Ankara

Satisfaction in Cyprus and Greeceembarrassment and strong reactions in Turkeyprovokes the historic decision of the US government to proceed with the complete lifting of the arms embargo imposed against the Republic of Cyprus in 1987.

The coordination of Athens and Nicosia in the decision centers of Washington, and the disturbing behavior Erdogan’s that many in the US view him as a supporter of Vladimir Putin, as well as Ankara’s policy towards Finland and Sweden, appear to have led the US to this historic decision. At the same time, the increasingly aggressive Turkish behavior and the frenzy about the Greek islands have not gone unnoticed in the State Department.

What remains to be seen is the reaction of the Turkish government, i.e. if there will be new impulsive and aggressive behaviors, which however lead Turkey to a vicious circle and new impasses, since at this stage, it cannot even procure spare parts for the F- 16.

“In the neighborhood they see Washington giving state-of-the-art F-35s to Greece and upgrading F-16s to Vipers, and now Nicosia he will be able to buy whatever weapon he wants” the correspondent of SKAI in Istanbul, Manolis Kostidis, had characteristically reported.

Ankara issued an angry statement on Saturday, condemning the White House’s decision, and asking to be reviewed.

“For an unfortunate and short-sighted decision that must be overturned as soon as possible”, said the vice-president of the Turkish government Fuat Oktai.

“With this provision… they will strengthen the Greek Cypriots” said the leader of the pseudo-state Ersin Tatar.

With posts on Twitter, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Anastasiadis, as well as the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs welcome the State Department’s decision to completely lift the US arms embargo on Cyprus.

“It is with great satisfaction that I welcome the State Department’s announcement on the complete lifting of the US arms embargo on Cyprus”, says Mr. Anastasiadis and points out: “This is a landmark decision, which reflects the developing strategic relationship between the two countries , including the security sector’.

The Cypriot Ministry of Defense expresses thanks and appreciation through its post. “This strengthens our cooperation and ushers in a new era in our bilateral relations as we steadily advance an irreversible security and defense partnership,” it noted.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kapro also expressed its satisfaction with the decision of the US State Department. Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulidis emphasized that this is yet another tangible example of upgraded bilateral cooperation.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs described it as a “political milestone”. Nikos Dendias the decision to completely lift the arms embargo on Cyprus by the State Department, which angered Ankara.
“I welcome and express my particular satisfaction for the decision of the American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to completely lift the US arms embargo to Cyprus,” he noted on Twitter, among other things.

However, the lifting of the embargo will continue to be renewed on an annual basis, as the East Med Act of 2019 and the National Defense Appropriation Act (NDAA) for the year 2020 provide that the US president must certify to the relevant congressional committees that the Republic of Cyprus continues to cooperate with the US government in a number of critical areas.

In particular, it is provided that the State Department must check every year that the Cypriot government:

• Collaborates on reforms to anti-money laundering regulations and financial regulatory oversight.
• Continues to take the necessary steps to deny access to Russian warships’ ports for supply and servicing.

In any case, however, yesterday’s decision to completely lift the embargo is considered to be an additional step that reflects the ever-increasing importance that American foreign policy attaches to relations with Cyprus, as well as the closer defense cooperation that has been built in recent years on the basis of the “East Med Act”.

The State Department announcement on the lifting of restrictions on defense trade with the Republic of Cyprus for fiscal year 2023:

“Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has determined and certified to Congress that the Republic of Cyprus has met the necessary conditions under relevant legislation in order to allow the approval of exports, re-exports and transfers of defense material to the Republic of Cyprus for fiscal year 2023. Compliance with the conditions evaluated on an annual basis. As a result of this decision and certification, the Secretary (Foreign Affairs) has lifted defense trade restrictions on the Republic of Cyprus for fiscal year 2023. The International Trade in Arms Regulations (ITAR) will be amended to reflect the new policy, effective 1 October 2022.

The East Med Act of 2019 and the Fiscal Year 2020 Defense Appropriation Act (NDAA) require that the policy of denying exports, re-exports or transfers of defense material to Cyprus remain in place Republic of the United States war supplies list, unless the president determines and certifies to appropriate congressional committees, at least annually, that the government of the Republic of Cyprus continues to cooperate with the government of the United States in regulatory reform efforts for anti-money laundering and financial regulatory oversight, and that the Government of the Republic of Cyprus has taken and continues to take the necessary measures to deny access to ports of Russian warships for supply and servicing. Under both laws, the State Department audits compliance with the laws annually.”

– AMPE

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