Cyprus could become a NATO member when conditions permit, says country’s president

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus could apply to become a member of NATO once its armed forces have received the necessary training and equipment with the help of the United States to bring them up to the standards of the world’s leading military alliance, the president said on Thursday of the Mediterranean island nation.

President Nikos Christodoulides has put Cyprus on the path to possible NATO membership, ending weeks of media speculation about his government’s intentions after his term in office. meeting with President Joe Biden in Washington last month.

The development runs counter to Cyprus’s long-standing policy of neutrality, which dates back to the Cold War era, when the country walked a tightrope between Washington and Moscow.

Christodoulides said that although Cyprus cannot join NATO at the moment due to objections that alliance member Turkey would raise to its potential membership, the Cypriot National Guard should not be denied the opportunity to join. improve its defensive capabilities with American assistance.

Turkey, which maintains more than 35,000 troops in the separatist Turkish Cypriot northern part of ethnically divided Cyprus, does not recognize the island’s government, based in the Greek Cypriot southern part.

Christodoulides did not explain how to get around Turkish objections. But the UN is now working to prepare for a resumption of peace talks between the rival parties in Cyprus, which was divided in 1974 during the Turkish invasion, following a coup led by supporters of the unification of the island with Greece.

Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency cited unnamed Turkish Defense Ministry officials as saying that any Cypriot application for NATO membership is “an unacceptable development for Turkey” that would disrupt “the balance delicate regarding the Cyprus issue and would negatively affect any peace talks.

“Because we do not want the National Guard to lose such opportunities, we are in talks with the United States — and we thank them for their positive response — on how the Republic of Cyprus can make the most of these opportunities. opportunities, so that when everything is in its place, the Republic of Cyprus can become a member of NATO,” Christodoulides told The Associated Press.

“Strengthening the deterrent capabilities of the Republic of Cyprus is of the utmost importance and we are taking advantage of every opportunity, both from the United States and NATO, but also from the European Union,” he said. -he added.

Christodoulides said Cyprus’ geographical location – it is the closest EU member state to the Middle East, just 182 kilometers (114 miles) from the Lebanese capital, Beirut – provided impetus for the improvements. planned for its military infrastructure. He said the government was currently in talks with the US to upgrade a key air base and with the EU for a naval base.

After his meeting with Biden, Christodoulides told the AP of his the government’s commitment to expanding defense and security cooperation with the United States

Cyprus’ Andreas Papandreou Air Base, located on its southwestern edge, is currently hosting a contingent of U.S. Marines and a number of pre-positioned V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor cargo and military transport aircraft to assist with possible evacuations from neighboring Lebanon and elsewhere.