The United States government is proceeding with the historic decision to completely lift the arms embargo imposed against the Republic of Cyprus in 1987.
Thus, from October 1, Cyprus will have every right to buy military equipment from the USA in order to strengthen its defense.
It is recalled that the first major step in this direction was taken in September 2020, when the then US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, called Nikos Christodoulidis to announce the partial lifting of the embargo.
This specific event had opened the way for the sale of American non-lethal weapons to Cyprus, providing that the partial lifting of the embargo should be renewed with a relevant order on an annual basis.
With today’s decision, the US government is proceeding to normalize its defense relations with the Republic of Cyprus, as there will no longer be any restrictions on the sale of weapons.
Nevertheless, the lifting of the embargo will continue to be renewed on an annual basis, as the East Med Act of 2019 and the National Defense Appropriations Act (NDAA) for the year 2020 provide that the US president must certify to the relevant congressional committees that the Republic of Cyprus continues to cooperate with the US government in a number of critical areas.
In particular, it is provided that the State Department must check every year that the Cypriot government:
· Collaborates on reforms to anti-money laundering regulations and financial regulatory oversight.
· Continues to take the necessary measures to deny access to ports of Russian warships for supply and servicing.
In any case, however, this decision is considered to be an additional step that reflects the ever-increasing importance that American foreign policy attaches to relations with Cyprus, as well as the closer defense cooperation that has been built in recent years years on the basis of the “East Med Act”.
The State department’s announcement:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken determined and certified to Congress that the Republic of Cyprus has met the necessary conditions under relevant legislation to allow the approval of exports, re-exports, and transfers of defense articles to the Republic of Cyprus for fiscal year 2023. Compliance with the conditions is assessed on an annual basis. As a result of this determination and certification, the Secretary lifted the defense trade restrictions for the Republic of Cyprus for fiscal year 2023. The International Traffic in Arms Regulations will be amended to reflect the new policy, effective October 1, 2022.
The Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 and the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2020 require that the policy of denial for exports, re-exports, or transfers of defense articles on the United States Munitions List to the Republic of Cyprus remain in place unless the President determines and certifies to the appropriate congressional committees not less than annually that the Government of the Republic of Cyprus is continuing to cooperate with the United States government in efforts to implement reforms on anti-money laundering regulations and financial regulatory oversight, and that the Government of the Republic of Cyprus has made and is continuing to take the steps necessary to deny Russian military vessels access to ports for refueling and servicing. In accordance with both Acts, the Department reviews compliance with the Acts annually.
The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Anastasiadis welcomed the State Department’s decision.
It is with great satisfaction that I welcome the announcement by 🇺🇸 @StateDept on the complete lifting of the U.S. arms embargo on Cyprus🇨🇾. This is a landmark decision, reflecting the burgeoning strategic relationship between the two countries, including in the area of security.
— Nicos Anastasiades (@AnastasiadesCY) September 17, 2022
The reaction of the surprised Ankara to Washington’s historic decision was immediate.
With its announcement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey condemns this decision, noting that it “will lead to an arms race on the Island”, while it pledges to use “all means” for the security of the Turkish Cypriots.
Press Release Regarding the U.S. Decision to Lift the Arms Embargo on the Greek Cypriot Administration https://t.co/WY6WToFQql pic.twitter.com/Q8khwoagAV
— Turkish MFA (@MFATurkiye) September 17, 2022
Turkey sees with this development, that the US, after the obstacles it raises to Ankara for the sale of new F-16s and the upgrade of existing ones and after the agreement with Athens for the sale of F-35s, is ready to discuss new armaments agreements with Nicosia.
