Cyprus hails new access to US defence goods

Cyprus hails new access to US defence goods
by AFP Staff Writers
Nicosia (AFP) Jan 16, 2025

Cyprus on Thursday heralded a move by United States President Joe Biden allowing the strategic Mediterranean country access to military equipment.

Traditionally aligned with Russia, European Union member Cyprus has solidified a more pro-American stance since the election of President Nikos Christodoulides in 2023.

In a memorandum issued by the White House on Wednesday, Biden said "the furnishing of defence articles and defence services to the Republic of Cyprus will strengthen the security of the United States and promote world peace."

Biden's decision makes Cyprus eligible "to receive defence equipment, supplies, and services" through programmes including Foreign Military Sales and the Excess Defense Articles divestment initiative, Washington's embassy to Nicosia said on its website.

A statement from the Cyprus Presidency on Thursday called the move a "historic milestone in the bilateral relations between Cyprus and the United States" that would "yield tangible benefits at diplomatic and defence levels".

It is also "clear acknowledgement" from Washington that Cyprus is a "key pillar of stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean", the Presidency said.

On X, United States Ambassador Julie Davis Fisher said: "President Biden's determination of the ROC's eligibility for government-to-government defence sales marks an important step in deepening the relationship, enhancing security cooperation & promoting stability in the East Med."

In 2022 Washington fully lifted a decades-old arms embargo, conditional on Nicosia continuing to block Russian warships from its ports.

The United States imposed the arms embargo on the whole of Cyprus in 1987 in the hope it could encourage its reunification.

Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the new defence cooperation was the result of Cyprus proving itself a valuable partner during the Middle East crisis.

The two countries cooperated in an initiative to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, as well as on the evacuation of US nationals from the region, he said.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when NATO-member Turkey invaded the north in response to a Greek-backed coup. More than 30,000 Turkish troops remain stationed on the island.

Last year, Christodoulides was the first Cypriot president to visit the White House since 1996, and the two sides entered a Strategic Dialogue aimed at enhancing security and other areas.