Cooperation will be part of the program for foreign officers to increase friendly nations’ interoperability with the US military after Washington ended arms embargo on the island last year.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media that the United States said Wednesday it plans to conduct military training with Cyprus for the first time, defying NATO ally Turkey, which warned of destabilization.

The US Congress last year ended a decades-long arms embargo on the island, whose northern third is occupied by Turkey.

“This is part of our efforts to enhance relationships with key regional partners to promote stability in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Pompeo told reporters.