Turkey’s defence ministry is concerned about the strengthening of relations between the United States and the Republic of Cyprus in the field of defence, according to reports on Thursday.

Newspaper Sabah cited sources from inside the ministry which said the US’ lifting of its arms embargo on the Republic of Cyprus in 2022 was done “in a way which would disrupt the delicate balance which existed on the island”.

“Now they have made plans for cooperation in defence. We are following these developments closely. We have taken and are continuing to take all kinds of measures to ensure the TRNC’s security. We emphasise once again our determination to protect the Turkish Cypriots’ security and rights at all costs,” the sources said.

Turkey’s concern comes as the Republic of Cyprus increasingly turns towards the west for its defence procurement and alliances, with a Cypriot government source saying earlier in the month that the government is “turning to other countries of the European Union, as well as Israel” as it seeks to replace military hardware.

Previously, that hardware had been supplied by Russia, but Cyprus’ reorientation towards the west had already begun to have a detrimental impact on that infrastructure even before a blanket ban was placed on Russian military hardware exports two years ago.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Cyprus’ National Guard suffered even more, with its existing defence systems short of spare parts. As such, they cannot be upgraded, meaning that new hardware is being sought from western countries instead.

This includes a much-rumoured “iron dome-type” system, which will protect the island from missiles and other aerial threats. The system will not be an exact replica of the Israeli iron dome, however, consisting of hardware supplied from the US and the EU, among others, as well as Israeli technology.

President Nikos Christodoulides had said his government is taking “specific actions, in particular with the United States, to strengthen the National Guard”, though he also lamented the fact that Cyprus cannot currently join Nato, saying this fact is “preventing the National Guard from being strengthened even further”.

However, he was coy when discussing whether or not Cyprus has bought “iron dome-type” hardware to protect itself from missiles.

“I will make absolutely no statement on the substance of the moves we are making to strengthen the Republic of Cyprus’ deterrent power. All I can say is that we will do and we are doing everything necessary to strengthen the Republic of Cyprus’ deterrent power,” he said.