Pompeo to visit Cyprus on Saturday

Shafaq News / US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that he will visit Cyprus on Saturday seeking for a peaceful resolution to end the growing tension in the Mediterranean region, while he called on Turkey to withdraw its forces.

Pompeo will hold talks in Cyprus after a visit to Doha, where he will take part in the launch of the long-awaited talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

He said on Thursday that his visit to Cyprus would come as a continuation of contacts made by US President Donald Trump with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

"The conflict must be resolved in a diplomatic and peaceful manner, so I will work on it," Pompeo told reporters on his plane, hoping that the military assets will be withdrawn.

He also referred to Germany's role in seeking to reduce tension, as France also played a key role in the maritime dispute, as it strongly supported Greece and Cyprus.

Earlier, Turkey deployed an exploratory ship last month backed by military frigates to search for gas and oil reserves in waters claimed by Greece, which responded to this by conducting naval military exercises.

Pompeo's visit came shortly after the United States lifted the decades-old embargo on Cyprus, which angered Turkey.

The move was aimed at bringing stability to the divided island, but its critics have suggested it has had a negative impact and pushed Cyprus to cooperate with other countries such as Russia.

Turkey occupied the northern part of Cyprus since 1974 when it invaded it in response to a coup by military leaders in Athens in an effort to unify the predominantly Greek island with Greece.