An agreement between the National Guard of the State of New Jersey and the Greek Cypriot administration’s Defense Ministry drew the ire of Türkiye, a staunch supporter of Turkish Cypriots on the divided island.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned the deal that is "encouraging Greek Cypriot side’s armament."

"We condemn the signing of an agreement between the National Guard of the State of New Jersey and the Ministry of Defense of the Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA) within the framework of the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program, under the scope of the U.S. Department of Defense, following the GCA’s inclusion in this program last October," the ministry said in a statement.

Türkiye supports the statement made by the Foreign Ministry of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on this issue, it added. "The U.S. disrupted the balance on the island of Cyprus to the detriment of the Turkish Cypriots in 2022 by lifting the arms embargo on the Greek Cypriot administration. These last steps are also encouraging the Greek Cypriot side’s armament.

"We call on the U.S. to reconsider this policy, which in no way serves the stability of the region, and to contribute to a just, lasting, and sustainable settlement of the Cyprus issue," the statement read.

The ministry stressed that Türkiye, "as a motherland and guarantor, will never allow any harm to come to the Turkish Cypriots," adding that Ankara will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the Turkish Cypriot people.

The island has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement. Ethnic attacks in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. The TRNC was founded in 1983. It has recently seen an on-and-off peace process, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece and the U.K. The Greek Cypriot administration was admitted into the EU in 2004 when Greek Cypriots thwarted a U.N. plan to end the longstanding dispute.

The U.S. moved to lift the arms embargo on the Greek Cypriot administration last year though officials insisted Washington still favored a possible settlement on the divided island.

Erika Olson, deputy assistant secretary of state, said that potential exports to the Greek Cypriot administration would remain reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure they support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives.

"Earlier this year, Secretary (of State Antony) Blinken determined that the Republic of Cyprus (Greek Cypriot administration) met the necessary conditions – outlined in the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 and the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2020 – to allow for the lifting of defense trade restrictions for the fiscal year 2023. The (State) Department annually reviews compliance with these conditions. Like Turkey, our objective is a peaceful, secure, and prosperous region where we work together against Russian aggression," she told Anadolu Agency (AA) in an interview last year.

Turkish politicians had pointed to lifting the embargo as evidence that the U.S. had abandoned its policy of "balance" between the Greek Cypriot administration and its neighbor on the island, the TRNC, which remains under international embargoes.