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The Turkish opposition labeled the meeting between Cyprus President Nicos Christodoulides and U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday as a major setback for Turkish diplomacy, claiming it offered Greece and Cyprus an upper hand in regional affairs.
Namik Tan, a Republican People's Party member and head of the party’s foreign policy committee, expressed disappointment at Turkey’s recent stance, suggesting it has compromised Turkey’s influence in the Eastern Mediterranean. "Turkey’s willingness to act as a protector of Hamas and a spokesman for Hezbollah provides Greece and the Republic of Cyprus with the opportunities they have been seeking and pressures the U.S. and the EU to rethink their approach in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Tan said, referring to the increasingly close ties between Cyprus and the U.S.
During his trip to Washington, Christodoulides met with Biden, who has not ruled out designating Cyprus as a "Major Non-NATO Ally" (MNNA), a status already held by 20 countries, including Israel and Egypt. Such a designation would afford Cyprus significant security benefits as well as expanded political and economic opportunities with the U.S., potentially boosting its role in regional stability.
Tan added that preparations for MNNA designation had been underway for some time, and the new status would mark a critical development for Cyprus. He further criticized Ankara’s strategic approach, quoting Gounes Turan, Turkey’s foreign minister in 1974, who, during the conflict in Cyprus, famously said that "while the world plays chess, we play backgammon." Tan argued that failing to adapt to the “chess game” in international relations has led to “an embarrassing picture of defeat” for Turkey.
As Cyprus strengthens its defense and diplomatic ties with the U.S., Turkish officials are closely monitoring developments that could reshape the power balance in the Eastern Mediterranean.
