Turkiye to deploy more troops in northern Cyprus, FM says

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu makes a speech as he holds a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Japan on September 26, 2022. [Fatih Aktaş – Anadolu Agency]

Turkiye will deploy more troops to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to protect Turkish Cypriots, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said yesterday, Anadolu news agency reported.

Speaking at a youth gathering in Pamukkale province, Cavusoglu said Ankara is determined to protect the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean “even if the whole world stands against it”.

“We will deploy more forces to protect Turkish Cypriots and provide anything they need in terms of arms,” he said.

The diplomat added that he had conveyed his country’s disapproval of the United States’ decision to lift the arms embargo from the Greek Cypriot administration, to his American counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Cavusoglu stressed that Turkiye continues its diplomatic efforts to defend its rights in Cyprus and in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.

Earlier this month, the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned Washington’s extension of its September 2020 decision to lift the arms embargo from the Greek Cypriot administration for the 2023 fiscal year.

READ: Turkiye to reinforce military presence in N. Cyprus after US arms embargo lifted: Erdogan

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