U.S. Senator Rick Scott visited Cyprus on Friday, toured the buffer zone in Nicosia, and placed the blame for the island...

U.S. Senator Rick Scott visited Cyprus on Friday, toured the buffer zone in Nicosia, and placed the blame for the island's division squarely on Turkey and Erdogan. "This is all caused by Turkey and Erdogan," Scott said after the tour, calling the situation an invasion of Cypriot sovereignty. He added that Cyprus should be one independent country, free to make its own decisions. Scott, a Republican from Florida known as one of Israel's most vocal defenders in the Senate, was direct in calling out Turkey's NATO membership as a contradiction. He said Turkey needs to "act like an ally" and treat sovereign nations with respect, questioning why a NATO member would behave the way Turkey has in Cyprus. His remarks go further than those of U.S. Ambassador to Nicosia John Breslow, who said last month that the U.S. "remains steadfast in its support of a Cypriot-led, United Nations-facilitated solution" to the island's division. Scott made no mention of UN frameworks or negotiated settlements, instead calling on Turkey to simply stop. Scott has also been outspoken on other regional issues. Last month he declared Turkey "not our friend," citing the breakdown in Turkish-Israeli relations. In August, he said he believes Trump will eventually have to resume regular strikes on Iran following Iran's disruption of oil flows after the conflict's outbreak this spring. Earlier this year, reports emerged that the U.S. State Department had expressed a positive view of Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman's four-point conditions for resuming reunification talks, a position that sits in tension with Scott's more confrontational tone toward Ankara. #Cyprus #Turkey #NATO