North accuses US of ‘bias’ on Cyprus problem

The north’s ‘foreign ministry’ on Wednesday accused the United States of “bias” regarding the Cyprus problem, following the signing of a roadmap for bilateral defence cooperation with the US earlier this week.

The ‘ministry’ described the roadmap as the “latest example of the increasing support that the US has been giving to the Greek Cypriot side in recent times”, adding that “the most striking element of the roadmap is the advancement of the interoperability between the military forces of the two parties”.

It then pointed to other evidence of strengthened relations between the US and the Republic, including the docking of the USS Wasp in Limassol and the annual renewal of the lifting of the US arms embargo, calling them “concrete indicators of the biased support given by the US to the Greek Cypriot side.”

It warned this policy may “cause dangers”, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean and will “disrupt all balances”.

“We call on the US, which we now see as a clear party in the Cyprus problem, to act with common sense, to put an end to its efforts to change the delicate balances in the region, and to end its biased stance on the Cyprus problem,” the ‘ministry’ said.

The ministry added that, “in the face of all these developments, we would like to state that we are always prepared against any threat which may arise against the Turkish Cypriot people, and that we reserve the right to take any steps which may be deemed necessary together with our motherland, Turkey.”

The roadmap agreement was signed on Monday, with Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas saying it constitutes “a strong indication of our commitment to further upgrade and deepen our relationship.”

US Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander described it as an “important milestone”.