Greek American Senators submitted a bipartisan bill to Congress to lift the arms embargo in the Greek Cyprus part of the island, claiming it is in the interest of the U.S.
A bipartisan bill, endorsed by both Republican and Democratic parties, for the complete lifting of the arms embargo in Cyprus and the abolition of the annual renewal, entitled “End the Cyprus Embargo Act”, was filed by four Greek-American Members of Parliament. These are Representatives Chris Pappas, Gus Bilirakis, Nicole Malliotakis, and Dina Titus, co-chairs and vice co-chairs of the Hellenic Caucus.
The bill proposes extending the renewal period for the arms embargo on the Greek Cyprus part of the island from one to five years, effectively ending defence restrictions. Specifically, it advocates removing Greek Cyprus from the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) list. This would enable Greek Cyprus to acquire U.S. defence articles and services without conditions, a significant step towards strengthening its defence capabilities.
The proposal was introduced before the 50th anniversary of Turkiye’s Peace Operation on Cyprus Island. In 1974, the military colonels' junta in Greece overthrew the Cypriot President, Archbishop Makarios III and installed Nikos Sampson. They attacked Turkish civilians living on the island. They aimed at “ENOSIS,” which means unification with Greece. The Cyprus would be called “the Hellenic Republic of Cyprus.”
In response, Turkiye set up a peace operation on the island and provided the ceasefire as a guarantor state. Along with Turkiye, Greece and the United Kingdom were the other two guarantor states.
