NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cyprus on Thursday hailed a U.S. memorandum of understanding allowing military sales, including weapons, to the island as a milestone confirming recognition of the island as a pillar of stability in the conflict-ridden eastern Mediterranean region.
US President Joe Biden strengthened security relations with Cyprus on Wednesday by issuing a memorandum making the island eligible to receive US defense materials, military sales and training.
Over the years, Cyprus has played a major role in evacuating residents from conflict areas and established a sea corridor to deliver aid to war-torn Gaza last year.
The Cypriot presidency said in a statement, “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 further to peace and the management of humanitarian challenges.”
Cyprus has been close to Russia for decades, but there has been a noticeable shift in loyalties in recent years.
For many in Cyprus, the Russian invasion of Ukraine resembles the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and Cyprus, an EU member state, has followed its counterparts in imposing sanctions on Moscow. It is now gaining FBI expertise in combating illicit finance.
The US Embassy in Nicosia said access to US programs will enable increased interoperability to respond to regional humanitarian crises, combat malign influence, and combat terrorism and transnational organized crime.
Türkiye is closely following the deepening of relations between the United States and Cyprus, as in September it criticized the signing of a road map to enhance defense cooperation between the United States and Cyprus.
Cyprus was divided in a Turkish invasion following a brief Greek-inspired coup in 1974, after years of sporadic violence between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots that led to the collapse of the power-sharing administration in 1963.