Editing Robert Byrd (section)

==== Turkey ====
In July 1978, Byrd introduced and endorsed a proposal by [[George McGovern]] for an amendment to repeal the 42‐month‐old embargo on [[United States military aid|American military assistance]] for [[Turkey]] that also linked any future aid for that country to progress on a [[Cyprus peace process|negotiated settlement]] of the [[Cyprus problem]]. The Senate approved the amendment in a vote of 57 to 42 as part of a $2.9 billion international security assistance bill. Byrd stated that every government in the [[NATO|NATO alliance]] except [[Greece]] favored repeal of the embargo.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/07/26/archives/senate-acts-to-lift-arms-ban-on-turks-but-adds-warning-help-tied-to.html|title=SENATE ACTS TO LIFT ARMS BAN ON TURKS, BUT ADDS WARNING|first=Graham|last=Hovey|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 26, 1978 |access-date=August 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817124932/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/07/26/archives/senate-acts-to-lift-arms-ban-on-turks-but-adds-warning-help-tied-to.html|archive-date=August 17, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 1979, Byrd stated that giving Turkey a grant should not be construed as retaliation against [[Greece]] and that aid for Turkey would improve Turkey's security in addition to that of Greece, NATO, and of American allies in the Middle East. Byrd mentioned his encouragement from the report on the [[Greek Cypriots|Greek]] and [[Turkish Cypriot]] communities agreeing to resume negotiations on the island's future as well as reports that progress was also being made on the reintegration of Greece into NATO. Byrd furthered that American military installations in Turkey were "of major importance in the monitoring of Soviet strategic activities" and would have "obvious significance" in the goal of verifying compliance by the Soviet Union with the strategic arms treaty. The Senate approved the Turkey grant, to Byrd's wishes, but against that of both President Carter and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/23/archives/senate-votes-to-make-50-million-for-turkey-a-grant-sarbanes-leads.html|title=Senate Votes to Make $50 Million for Turkey a Grant|first=Graham|last=Hovey|date=May 23, 1979|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=September 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919211709/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/23/archives/senate-votes-to-make-50-million-for-turkey-a-grant-sarbanes-leads.html|archive-date=September 19, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>