US-Greek Cypriot Defense Pact Sparks Concerns Over Potential Turkish Backlash

US-Greek Cypriot Defense Pact

The United States and the Greek Cypriot administration have announced the signing of a new roadmap to enhance defense cooperation, a move expected to strengthen military ties between the two sides.

The agreement was signed on Monday by Greek Cypriot Defense Minister Vassilis Palmas and US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander in the Greek-controlled part of the divided city of Lefkosa.

This pact marks another step in the deepening defense relationship between the United States and the Greek Cypriot administration, a development that is likely to provoke a strong reaction from Türkiye.

Although Türkiye has not yet issued an official response to this new defense agreement, Ankara has historically expressed strong opposition to similar moves. In the past, Türkiye has voiced serious concerns over the US’s growing military cooperation with the Greek Cypriot administration.

For instance, in September 2022, the United States lifted a decades-old arms embargo on the Greek Cypriot administration, a decision that was met with harsh criticism from both Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

Just a month later, the Greek-administered Southern Cyprus was paired with the New Jersey National Guard under the State Partnership Program, further fueling tensions.

Both moves were viewed by Türkiye and the TRNC as destabilizing actions that could heighten tensions on the already divided island of Cyprus.

The new defense roadmap, along with these previous agreements, could undermine ongoing efforts to reach a peaceful resolution to the longstanding conflict between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

The island of Cyprus has been divided since ethnic violence in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to retreat into enclaves for safety.

Tensions escalated further in 1974 when a Greek Cypriot coup, aimed at annexing the island to Greece, prompted Türkiye to intervene militarily as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence.

This intervention led to the establishment of the TRNC in 1983, which remains unrecognized by most of the international community.

Despite numerous attempts at mediation by the United Nations, the conflict remains unresolved. The Greek Cypriot administration was admitted to the European Union in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots rejected a UN plan intended to end the island’s division.

Türkiye views the deepening US-Greek Cypriot defense relationship as a potential threat to the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean, a region already fraught with geopolitical tensions. Ankara fears that such cooperation could complicate regional dynamics and jeopardize its security interests.

Given this backdrop of strained relations, many analysts expect a strong reaction from Türkiye to the latest defense agreement between the US and the Greek Cypriot administration.

Ankara has consistently emphasized that any actions perceived as altering the status quo or threatening the Turkish Cypriot community could have serious repercussions for regional stability.