Cyprus’ NATO aspirations ‘unacceptable,’ says Turkish Defense Ministry

Turkey’s Defense Ministry on Thursday lashed out at the Republic of Cyprus, after its president, Nikos Christodoulides, reiterated the island nation’s aspirations to join NATO.

Nicosia has no grounds for applying for membership in NATO, sources in the ministry were quoted by the Turkish news site TRT Haber on Thursday, “but even its attempts are an unacceptable development for Turkey.”

“As a NATO member-state, Turkey reminds that the decisions for the alliance’s expansion are taken unanimously and argues that these processes should be carried out by taking into account a country’s national security concerns,” the sources added, echoing earlier comments from Ankara indicating that it would use its veto to block any attempts by the Republic of Cyprus to join the alliance.

“This attempt will disrupt the delicate balance in the Cyprus issue and negatively affect the negotiation processes aimed at a solution,” the ministry sources added, referring to ongoing international efforts to broker a peace deal on the divided Mediterranean island.

Christodoulides on Thursday told the Associated Press that Cyprus could apply to become a member of NATO once its armed forces receive the necessary training and equipment with US help to bring them up to the standards of the world’s premier military alliance.

The Cypriot president was in Washington recently, where he held talks with his outgoing US counterpart, Joe Biden.