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The United States has decided to lift the U.S. embargo on non-lethal defence articles in Cyprus, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said on Tuesday.
The decision was announced over a call by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Anastasiades, Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported.
The lifting of the 33-year ban will be effective for a year and could be extended after that, it said, citing U.S. sources.
Washington imposed an embargo on the whole of the divided island in 1987 with the goal of stopping an arms race and help creating a peaceful settlement between the Greek majority and Turkish minority.
U.S. Congress ended the arms embargo on Cyprus in late 2019, in a blow to Turkey. The effort was led at the U.S. Senate by Democratic Senator Robert Menendez and Republican Senator Marco Rubio .
The news on the lifting of the embargo on non-lethal defence articles first tweeted by Greek reporters based in Washington, D.C., after a press briefing conducted with Greek journalists in Washington with the U.S. officials.
The United States has decided to partially lift an arms embargo against Cyprus, and this is understood that the partial lifting of the embargo will last for one year – with the possibility of renewal – and applies to non-lethal systems, according to the Cyprus Mail.
"They did not make a clear distinction between lethal and non-lethal systems," Matthew Palmer of the US State Department reportedly said that each Cypriot request for the supply of American systems will be reviewed separately.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the north in response to a Greek Cypriot coup aiming to unite the island with Greece. Since then, the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus has controlled the southern two-thirds of the island, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, only recognised by Turkey, the northern third.
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The decision was announced over a call by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Anastasiades, Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported.
The lifting of the 33-year ban will be effective for a year and could be extended after that, it said, citing U.S. sources.
Washington imposed an embargo on the whole of the divided island in 1987 with the goal of stopping an arms race and help creating a peaceful settlement between the Greek majority and Turkish minority.
U.S. Congress ended the arms embargo on Cyprus in late 2019, in a blow to Turkey. The effort was led at the U.S. Senate by Democratic Senator Robert Menendez and Republican Senator Marco Rubio .
The news on the lifting of the embargo on non-lethal defence articles first tweeted by Greek reporters based in Washington, D.C., after a press briefing conducted with Greek journalists in Washington with the U.S. officials.
Greece and United States observers appeared pleased with the news.
The United States has decided to partially lift an arms embargo against Cyprus, and this is understood that the partial lifting of the embargo will last for one year – with the possibility of renewal – and applies to non-lethal systems, according to the Cyprus Mail.
"They did not make a clear distinction between lethal and non-lethal systems," Matthew Palmer of the US State Department reportedly said that each Cypriot request for the supply of American systems will be reviewed separately.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the north in response to a Greek Cypriot coup aiming to unite the island with Greece. Since then, the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus has controlled the southern two-thirds of the island, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, only recognised by Turkey, the northern third.
