Cyprus Says US Decree on Security Affirms Island's Stabilizing Role in Region

Nicosia, Cyprus | Photo: Getty Images
Nicosia, Cyprus | Photo: Getty Images
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Cyprus Says US Decree on Security Affirms Island's Stabilizing Role in Region

Nicosia, Cyprus | Photo: Getty Images
Nicosia, Cyprus | Photo: Getty Images

Cyprus on Thursday hailed a US memorandum allowing military sales, including arms, to the island as a milestone affirming recognition of the island as a pillar of stability in the east Mediterranean region which has been fraught with conflict.
US President Joe Biden boosted security ties with Cyprus on Wednesday by issuing a memorandum that makes the island eligible to receive American defense articles, military sales and training.
Cyprus has over the years played a key role in evacuating people out of conflict zones and established a maritime corridor for aid to war-ravaged 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 further contribute to peace and the management of humanitarian challenges," the Cypriot presidency said in a statement.
Cyprus was close to Russia for decades, but there has been a marked shift in allegiances in recent years, Reuters said.
For many in Cyprus, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has drawn parallels to Türkiye’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and Cyprus, an EU member state, has followed its peers in adopting sanctions on Moscow. It is now getting FBI expertise in countering illicit finance.
Access to the US programs would enable greater interoperability to respond to regional humanitarian crises, counter malign influence, and combat terrorism and transnational organized crime, the US embassy in Nicosia said.
Deepening US-Cyprus relations are closely followed by Türkiye, which in September criticized the signing of a roadmap to boost defense co-operation between the United States and Cyprus.
Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion following a brief Greek-inspired coup in 1974, following years of sporadic violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots which triggered the collapse of a power-sharing administration in 1963.



European Leaders Push for De-Escalation Between Israel and Iran 

Police stand next to a crater at an impact site following a missile attack from Iran, in Herzliya, Israel, June 17, 2025. (Reuters)
Police stand next to a crater at an impact site following a missile attack from Iran, in Herzliya, Israel, June 17, 2025. (Reuters)
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European Leaders Push for De-Escalation Between Israel and Iran 

Police stand next to a crater at an impact site following a missile attack from Iran, in Herzliya, Israel, June 17, 2025. (Reuters)
Police stand next to a crater at an impact site following a missile attack from Iran, in Herzliya, Israel, June 17, 2025. (Reuters)

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday night and then in the ensuing hours with the Iranian, British and German foreign ministers about the situation in the Middle East.

The French, British and German ministers passed on joint messages to the Iranian foreign minister about the need for a de-escalation and a return to diplomacy, according to a French diplomatic official.

They urged Iran to return to negotiations as soon as possible, without conditions, the official said.

They urged Iran to avoid any threats to Western interests, any extension of hostilities elsewhere in the region and any nuclear escalation including leaving the Non-Proliferation Treaty, stopping cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or pursuing further enrichment, the official said.

The ministers also passed along messages to Israel on the need to not target Iranian authorities, infrastructure and the civilian population, the official said.

The official was not authorized to be publicly named in accordance with Foreign Ministry policy.