Cyprus is the only state outside NATO and the Partnership for Peace (PfP) on the list of countries that meet the criteria for participation in multilateral military training programmes under US auspices, Government Spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Thursday, regarding yesterday’s amendment to the US Defense Budget (NDAA) for 2025, noting that it demonstrates the stability and institutional upgrading of the bilateral relations between the two countries.
In a post on “X”, Letymbiotis notes that yesterday’s amendment – 1233 – to the NDAA “constitutes a milestone of strategic importance and a decisive step, highlighting the increased geopolitical and military importance that the United States attributes to the Republic of Cyprus.”
Cyprus, he added, “becomes the only state outside NATO and the Partnership for Peace (PfP)” to be included in the list of countries that meet the criteria for participation in multilateral military training programmes under the auspices of the US, along with Eastern European countries.
This development, he adds, “is part of the broader context of the expansion and deepening of the Cyprus-US strategic cooperation, which is now also being strengthened at the legislative level.”
The inclusion of the amendment in the final text of the NDAA 2025, “with broad bipartisan support (281 votes in favour and 140 against), demonstrates the stability and institutional upgrading of our bilateral relations,” he notes. With the imminent approval of the bill by the Senate and its signing by the President, the Cyprus National Guard will acquire the right to participate in multilateral military exercises until 2027, according to Letymbiotis.
The Spokesperson also said that this specific decision “underlines the recognition by the US of Cyprus’ crucial strategic role in the Eastern Mediterranean.” The gradual strengthening of bilateral relations through the Strategic Dialogue and tangible initiatives, such as this, highlights our country as a pillar of stability and cooperation in the wider region, the post concludes.
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Source: CNA/EAN/AGK/2024
