The TRNC Foreign Ministry has warned that lifting the US arms embargo on South Cyprus would be a grave mistake.
In a statement issued today, the foreign ministry said that such a move would only help increase tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and trigger an arms race.
The US has been imposing an arms embargo on South Cyprus since 1987.
The statement said that the draft legislation had yet to be taken up at the committee level.
It said aggressive statements made by the Greek Cypriot leadership and the senator who brought the legislation to the Senate threatened peace and stability on the island.
The draft legislation aims to remove the embargoes with the excuse of protecting the US’s strategic, energy and security interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, the statement said.
The bill, if approved envisages a three million US dollar weapons deal for Greece and two million dollars in military training for Greece and South Cyprus.
Pointing out that peace and stability on the island were extremely important for the Turkish Cypriot side; the statement said that the Turkish Cypriot side was ready to establish any form of cooperation in that direction.
The statement added that the Turkish Cypriot side was sensitive towards any attempt to upset the current stability that prevailed on the island located in a volatile region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the committee to reject the legislation as well as similar forms of legislation that will harm peace and stability in the region.
It said that the foreign ministry will continue its diplomatic efforts to explain to all international actors the Turkish Cypriot side’s sensitivities and risks on the issue.
BRT
