Türkiye condemns Greek Cyprus Administration’s inclusion in US National Guard partnership programme

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the Greek Cypriot Administration's (GCA) "inclusion in the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program, under the scope of the US Department of Defense".

"From our point of view, the latest move of the US, two weeks after lifting the arms embargo on GCA, has no justification," Anadolu Agency quotes the ministry as saying on October 3.

The ministry noted that the US' latest move is "going beyond disrupting the balance between the two sides on the Island, the US has evidently become partial".

"With such moves, the US is losing its opportunity to play a constructive role for a fair, permanent and sustainable settlement of the Cyprus issue," it further noted.

In addition, Türkiye also vowed to continue taking "all necessary steps to ensure the security of Turkish Cypriot people," as a guarantor state.

"We support the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the TRNC [Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus] regarding the issue," it added.

Last week, the US announced that under the Defense Department National Guard’s State Partnership Program, the Greek Cypriot administration has been paired with the National Guard in the US state of New Jersey.

On October 3, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) lashed out at the US move to include the Greek Cypriot administration in the Pentagon military partnership program.

The Foreign Ministry of the TRNC said the country can "never accept the support and encouragement of the Greek Cypriot administration by the US administration in the military and political arena."

With the move, Washington, which on September 16 lifted an arms embargo on the Greek Cypriot administration that had been in force since 1987, continues its provocative attitude towards the TRNC and Türkiye, according to the TRNC authorities.