The Turkish occupation of Cyprus and Ankara’s policy, which remains a threat to stability and prosperity in the region, was raised by Senator Robert Menendez during the Annual Economist New York Mediterranean Business Summit on Tuesday.
“Despite being an ally in NATO, Turkey is challenging Greek sovereignty with provocative overflights in the Aegean. Violations of Greek airspace with fighters are unacceptable behavior by any country. Turkey is undermining NATO unity at a critical time,” Menendez said.
He noted that “we need to make it clear to Turkey that there will be consequences for violations of international law and overflights in the Aegean”.
“I find it very difficult to agree to sailing other military equipment to Turkey”, he pointed out.
Menendez criticized Erdogan’s attitude towards Israel, which he called “a nation of terrorists while the country tries to defend itself from the attacks”.
In addition, the Senator said that Ankara “at the end of the day will remove the obstacles to the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO”.
Menendez noted the good cooperation of Congress and President Biden with the aim of lifting the arms embargo in Cyprus with the ultimate goal of modernizing its defense system.
“Cyprus has proven to be a worthy partner,” he said, adding that the USA is committed to work with Greece, Cyprus and Israel.
Referring to the recent meeting of the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with the American President Joe Biden and his speech before the Congress, Menendez said that “it was a historical speech with great influence by a Greek leader. “I was delighted to see Democrats and Republicans both applauding him.”
Regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Menendez stressed the importance of alliances based on common values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law, and said that Vladimir Putin would de-escalate his aggression only when he felt the economic stalemate was suffocating.
The US Senator referred to the goal of turning the Eastern Mediterranean into an energy center for energy autonomy of Europe and independence from Russian energy reserves, emphasizing the tripartite cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Israel, with special reference to the role of Alexandroupolis and the LNG sector. “If it is economically viable, it has to be examined. Personally, however, I am a hearty supporter of Renewable Energy Sources.”
Olson’s speech on EastMed
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The Economist Conference was also attended by Erika Olson, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.
Olson also commented on the construction of the EastMed gas pipeline.
“If stakeholders and the private sector in the area feel that the project would be commercially and environmentally sustainable, then this is a discussion they will have themselves.We are just interested in upgrading energy security in the Eastern Mediterranean and in Europe in general.”, she said.
Olson added that the US supports Greece’s energy security and that it runs almost 50% of the country’s LNG imports while working together with the EU. for its energy diversification and have committed to additional LNG supplies that will amount to 15 billion cubic meters of gas by the end of 2022.
Commenting on the war in Ukraine, she said it posed a threat to collective security while provoking a refugee, food and energy crisis.
Defense Minister spoke of Cyprus’ role
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The conference was also attended by the Minister of Defense of Cyprus Charalambos Petrides who met in New York with Senator Robert Menendez and the Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee David Harris.
During his speech at the Economist conference, he highlighted the regional role of the Republic of Cyprus as a reliable partner in matters of defense and military cooperation acting within the framework of international law.
He also mentioned the cooperation with the USA and stressed that its upgrade and expansion remains a constant goal.
Source: Cyprus News Agency