Rapprochement between Cyprus and the US angers Turkey: "No solution to the Cyprus question"

The United States and Cyprus are moving closer together, opening up new opportunities for NATO in dealing with Russia. However, the member state Turkey has voiced criticism.

Nicosia – A sustained shift in the international security architecture is on the horizon. The island nation of Cyprus, located in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea, is currently moving closer to the United States, having long had close relations with Russia. NATO could benefit from this new course, as Cyprus occupies a key position due to its strategic location.

In early April, the US Navy's USS San Juan nuclear submarine docked in the Cypriot port city of Limassol. This visit is likely to be part of an increased cooperation, especially in the military field, as Business Insider reports. Back in 2019, the US Congress voted to increase cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus, as it is officially called, and other countries in the region in the energy sector.

U.S. and Cyprus get closer – Nicosia distances itself from Russia

The current rapprochement between the Republic of Cyprus and the United States is a turning point. Since 1974, Cyprus has been divided into a Turkish-influenced northern and a Greek-influenced southern half. While the Greek-speaking Republic of Cyprus is internationally recognized and a member country of the EU, the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is only recognized by Turkey. The Cyprus conflict is one of the most protracted in the world and a constant bone of contention between Greeks and Turks.

In order to bring about a rapprochement in this conflict, the US imposed an arms embargo on the entire island in 1987. In the following years, Russia became a close military partner and important arms exporter for the Republic of Cyprus. In 2015, the Cypriot government in Nicosia concluded an agreement with Moscow that granted Russian ships access to Cypriot ports for supplies.

In the meantime, however, Nicosia is distancing itself from Russia and striving for a closer relationship with the United States. Following Moscow's attack on Ukraine in February 2022, the 2015 agreement was terminated and Russian ships were denied access to its ports. Washington, for its part, partially lifted the 2020 arms embargo in 1987, allowing non-lethal military equipment to be exported to Cyprus. In 2022, it was finally completely repealed.

US General stresses: "We have a strong military relationship with Cyprus"

U.S. General Christopher Cavoli, head of the U.S. European Command and NATO's top commander, defended the move at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee in April, according to Business Insider. Cyprus is of high strategic importance for the United States, Cavoli said. It is a complicated region in which the Russian naval presence has increased sharply in recent years.

Russia maintains a naval base in the Syrian port city of Tartus, just across the island, and an air base near Syria's Hmeimim. NATO would pay close attention to Russian activities in the region and the U.S. naval forces would "work intensively down there," Cavoli told the committee. "We have a strong military relationship with Cyprus," he added.

Cyprus, for its part, has expanded its military exchanges with the United States, Cypriot and American units have already conducted joint exercises. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, who took office in March, wants to continue his predecessor's efforts to bring Cyprus closer to the U.S. and "promote Cyprus as a stability factor in the Eastern Mediterranean," an expert told Business Insider.

Turkey protests against rapprochement between Nicosia and Washington

NATO could benefit from this development in view of the threat posed by Russia, but not all members of the alliance are happy about it. Following the arrival of the USS San Juan, Turkey issued a statement expressing its solidarity with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). This had sharply criticized the visit of the nuclear submarine in the neighboring country, which also includes the territory of the TRNC in terms of international law.

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The steps taken by the US would "upset the balance on the island of Cyprus and promote the rearmament of the Greek Cypriot government" and do not constitute a contribution "to a just, sustainable and lasting solution to the Cyprus issue," the statement said. Turkey has traditionally seen itself as the protector of the TRNC, which is dependent on it.

New relationship between Cyprus and US angers Turkey: 'A way to 'make a little noise'

Andrew Novo, a professor of strategic studies at the National Defense University, told Business Insider, doubts that Ankara has a "real objection" to the visit of US warships to Cyprus. "These activities do not pose a real problem for Turkey and are not of military significance for Cyprus," he added, calling the submarine's visit symbolic.

Rather, the Turkish leadership is "dissatisfied with the new close relations between the US and Cyprus," Novo said. "The publication of an official press release criticizing the docking of an American ship is a way to make a little noise and remind Washington that closer ties with Cyprus make the people of Ankara unhappy."