US Senators Send Letter to Biden Calling for Sanctions Against Turkey

A group of American senators has sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to exert pressure and impose sanctions on Turkey. This was reported by Ermenihaber.

The issue at hand is that Turkey intends to reopen the fenced-off city of Varosha (known as Maraş in Turkish), which has been under occupation since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. In this regard, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez, along with Democrats Chris Van Hollen and Republican Marco Rubio, have written to Biden.

“We urge you to work alongside the European Union to clarify in advance that any attempt by Turkey to reopen or resettle Varosha will result in multilateral sanctions,” the letter states.

The senators pointed out that Turkey is disregarding the calls from the UN and the European Parliament regarding this matter. Additionally, 11 U.S. senators have issued a statement criticizing Turkey's plans and calling on Joe Biden to use all his leverage to pressure Turkey and thwart Ankara's illegal projects.

Meanwhile, the Turkish source noted that this letter was sent ahead of President Erdoğan's upcoming visit to Northern Cyprus. It is worth recalling that earlier, President Joe Biden had sent a message to Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, indicating that Washington would again call on Turkey to revoke its decision to open the former resort in Varosha, located in the buffer zone between the Greek and Turkish areas of Cyprus, in the coastal region of Famagusta, from which Greek Cypriot owners were expelled in 1974.