Cyprus on Thursday hailed a US memorandum allowing military sales, including arms, to the island, a milestone reaffirming the island’s recognition as a pillar of stability in the eastern Mediterranean region, rife with conflict. It has happened.
US President Joe Biden boosted security ties with Cyprus on Wednesday by issuing a memorandum Which makes the island eligible to receive American defense materials, military sales and training.
Over the years Cyprus has played an important role in withdrawal People were evacuated from conflict areas and a sea corridor For aid to war-torn Gaza last year.
“This (memorandum) is a clear recognition of the Republic of Cyprus as a pillar of stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean, with the potential to contribute to peace and the management of humanitarian challenges,” the Cyprus Presidency said in a statement.
The Foreign Ministry of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot administration in Northern Cyprus said the US decision showed that Cyprus’s internationally recognized Greek government “will continue its arms race as if it is preparing for war.”
“We call on countries that support the Greek Cypriot side’s warmongering to take action and be sensitive, calculating the consequences of these actions,” the statement said. The statement said it would continue to take steps with Türkiye to protect the safety of its citizens.
Cyprus was close to Russia for decades, but allegiances have shifted significantly in recent years.
Many in Cyprus have drawn parallels between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and EU member Cyprus has followed its peers in imposing sanctions on Moscow. Now it’s getting FBI expertise combating illicit finance,
The US Embassy in Nicosia said access to US programs would enable greater interoperability to respond to regional humanitarian crises, counter lethal impacts, and combat terrorism and transnational organized crime.
The deepening of relations between the US and Cyprus has been closely followed by Türkiye, which took place in September criticized The pair signed a roadmap to boost defense cooperation.
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 followed years of sporadic violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, followed by a brief Greek-inspired coup that led to the fall of the power-sharing administration that had been in place since 1963.
