Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulidis presented a strategic plan for the country's possible integration into NATO at a meeting with US President Joe Biden. The proposal, voiced in the Oval Office, has already received a positive response from Washington.
Points of attention
- President Nikos Christodoulidis presented a strategic plan for Cyprus to join NATO, receiving positive feedback from US officials.
- The integration of Cyprus into NATO is seen as a win-win for regional stability by national security officials, with discussions involving key US and NATO representatives.
- The main obstacles to Cyprus joining NATO include the conflict on the island, strained relations with Turkey, and the need for progress in Cyprus-Turkey-EU relations.
- Cyprus aims to strengthen ties with NATO through strategic requests to the US, including the long-term lifting of arms embargo, military training expansion, and military potential modernization.
- The historical, geopolitical, and internal factors, including the ongoing conflict on the island and tensions with Turkey, have kept Cyprus outside NATO despite being a member of the European Union.
Cyprus intends to join NATO: what is known
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called the Cyprus plan a "win-win" and emphasized its significant potential for regional stability.
Initial discussions of this initiative began with former Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, and continued in the summer with representatives of the Pentagon. The official presentation of the plan, which took place on October 30, brought the initiative to a new political level.
Following his visit to the US, Christodoulidis discussed the strategy with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the European Political Community summit in Bucharest.
The key goal of the plan is to strengthen Cyprus' ties with NATO and prepare for possible membership. However, this process depends on progress in the settlement of the Cyprus conflict and the improvement of relations between the EU and Turkey. A breakthrough on these issues could bring Ankara access to European institutions, which is currently blocked by Cyprus' veto.
To realize the ambitious goals, Cyprus put forward three strategic requests of the US:
long-term lifting of the arms embargo,
expansion of military training programs,
assistance in the modernization of the military potential.
In particular, Nicosia hopes to receive American assistance to expand the Andreas Papandreou base in Paphos, which will allow it to meet NATO standards and accommodate US military forces on a permanent basis.
Why is Cyprus still not in NATO?
Cyprus occupies a special place among the countries of the European Union: the country is a full member of it, but remains outside NATO. This status is due to a complex interweaving of historical, geopolitical and internal factors.
One of the key reasons is the protracted conflict on the island. Since 1974, part of Cyprus has been under Turkish occupation, which maintains tensions between the two communities and makes it difficult to implement major foreign policy initiatives.
Turkey, which recognizes only the Turkish government of Northern Cyprus, views any attempt by Cyprus to move closer to NATO as a direct threat.
More on the topic
- Category
- Economics
- Publication date
- Додати до обраного
