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Donald Trump tapped Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to determine whether to lift the decades-old US arms embargo on the disputed island of Cyprus. Trump tasked Pompeo with the decision today via a presidential memorandum after signing two separate bills to lift the embargo in December — legislation that Turkey had unsuccessfully sought to forestall.
Why it matters: Turkey’s attack on Kurdish forces in northeast Syria last year unleashed a flurry of punitive legislation on Capitol Hill, including the two identical provisions to lift the Cyprus arms embargo in a defense authorization and spending bill. The United States has maintained an arms embargo on the disputed island since 1987.
