Greek Cyprus’ NATO membership ‘unacceptable’: Turkish Defense Ministry

The Turkish National Defense Ministry stated that the prospect of Greek Cyprus joining NATO is “unacceptable”. The declaration came during a press conference on Thursday, following reports that Greek Cyprus had allegedly expressed interest in joining the alliance.

The Turkish Defense Ministry told the Turkish press, “Türkiye, as a NATO member country, reminds that the enlargement decisions of the alliance are taken unanimously and argues that these processes should be carried out by taking into account the national security concerns of any country.”

“In the current situation, the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus’ application for NATO membership is an unacceptable development for Türkiye. This initiative will upset the delicate balance in the Cyprus issue and adversely affect the negotiation processes for a solution.”

Greek Cyprus does not provide clarification

Greek newspaper Kathimerini leaked that the Southern Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides met with outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden on Oct. 30 to discuss its NATO bid, among other issues.

Christodoulides has yet to provide any clarification on how to receive a greenlight from Ankara. U.N. talks over divided Cyprus are nevertheless expected to resume in the upcoming weeks.