US' Biden issues directive approving Greek Cypriot administration's purchase of military equipment

ISTANBUL

US President Joe Biden has issued a directive allowing the Greek Cypriot administration to purchase military equipment from the US.

Biden, who has just a few days left in office, on Wednesday issued a directive allowing the administration to purchase "defense equipment, supplies, and services" from the US in accordance with the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

"I hereby find that the furnishing of defense articles and defense services to the Republic of (Greek) Cyprus will strengthen the security of the United States and promote world peace," the statement said.

On X, US Ambassador to the Greek Cypriot administration Julie Davis Fisher stated that the directive represents a significant step "in deepening the relationship, enhancing security cooperation & promoting stability in the East Med."

Last September, Türkiye condemned the US lifting an arms embargo on the Greek Cypriot administration for another year.

"This grave mistake would lead to an arms race on the island and undermine the delicate balances in the region," said the Turkish Foreign Ministry. "In the face of the increasing armament activities of the Greek Cypriot administration, we believe that the TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) will take all necessary measures to increase its defense and deterrence capability.”

Biden is set to leave office on Monday. There is as yet no sign that Donald Trump, his successor and also his predecessor, might change the US’ Cyprus policy when he returns to the White House.

- Decades-long Cyprus problem

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.