President Joe Biden is committed to maintaining sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for buying Russian S-400 missile defenses and would impose further sanctions if Ankara bought additional major arms systems from Moscow, a senior US diplomat said on Wednesday.
In congressional testimony, US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland also condemned Turkish Cypriot authorities’ announcement of a partial reopening of Varosha, an abandoned town, for potential resettlement, ratcheting up US criticism.
Cyprus appealed to the UN Security Council on Wednesday over the plans, as Turkey repeated its call for a two-state solution on the island despite international criticism.
An estimated 17,000 Greek Cypriot residents of Varosha fled the advance of Turkish troops in August 1974. It has remained empty ever since, sealed off with barbed wire and no-entry signs. United Nations resolutions have called for the area to be turned over to UN administration.
