United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has canceled his upcoming trip to Cyprus.
According to the announcement made by the US State Department, Secretary Pompeo will not visit Cyprus as per his schedule in light of the ongoing tensions with Iraq that ensured after the attacks on the American Embassy.
The announcement further added that the cancellation of travel plans would extend to Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and Kazakhstan as well, since the Secretary was needed more in Washington, D.C. to continue monitoring the ongoing tensive situation within Iraq. His priority right now is to make sure that American citizens are safe in the Middle East. That said, the trip is not all canceled and will once again be scheduled sometime in the future.
This comes as quite the disappointment to several countries, especially since the cancellation of the much awaited Kyiv visit, and how it would reflect on the ongoing situation of the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump over the supposed pressures he made on President Volodymyr Zielensky in the alleged investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.
The Cyprus visit too was very strategic due to the importance of the region in general, and the tense atmosphere that has permeated there due to recent actions by Turkey.