Turkey warns of 'dangerous escalation' if US ends arms embargo on Cyprus

Relations between two NATO allies, Turkey and the United States deteriorated after US Congress on Tuesday voted to lift a decades-old arms embargo on Cyprus. The Senate in favour of ending the embargo passed a bill that voted 86 to eight and already went through the House of Representatives. US President Donald Trump is likely to sign the bill and end the arms embargo soon.

US-Turkey relations sour

Turkey is not happy with the bill and warned the United States of hampering the efforts towards a settlement on the island. Turkey Foreign Ministry in a statement accused members of the US Congress of looking to settle internal political scores and acting under the influence of anti-Turkish circles. US' decision to lift the arms embargo on Cyprus Island in favour of the Greek Cypriot Administration will further escalate the situation. 

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Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 after a military coup in the island nation performed as part of an attempt to annex the country to Greece. Turkey has been controlling the northern part of the country which is now known as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus since 1974. Turkey is the only country in the world who recognises the northern part of Cyprus as a country while the international community still considers it to be a part of the Republic of Cyprus.

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Turkey has warned the United States of starting an arms race in the region and escalating tensions between the Greek majority and the Turkish minority. The United States imposed an embargo on the full island in 1987 with an aim to encourage peaceful settlement between the two ethnic groups in the region. 

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Relations between Turkey and the United States started souring after Ankara decided to buy S-400 missile defence system from Russia earlier this year. The US in retaliation removed Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet programme and threatened to impose further sanctions. United States' support for the Syrian Kurdish militia was also one of the major reasons for the growing tensions between the two countries. 

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