BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:20 A.M.) – Turkey announced its disapproval over the U.S. plans to make the International Military Education and Training (IMET) available to Cyprus, claiming that it does not help the Mediterranean island’s current division.
“It is obvious that steps disregarding the balance between the two sides will not help create an atmosphere of trust on the Island, and ensure peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean,” said Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy on Wednesday, as quoted by the Greek publication Ekathimerini.
According to Ekathimerini, Aksoy added that the U.S. decision will “lead to strengthening the intransigent attitude of the Greek Cypriot side.”
Turkey, who invaded the eastern Mediterranean island in the 1970s, has long been the primary supporter of the island’s northern division.
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