On Wednesday, the US and Cyprus launched a strategic dialogue in Nicosia, described as a historic moment.
“It is a big moment in the relationship between our countries and to be part of this feels like being part of an historic occasion,” US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien said at a news conference.
Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos heralded what he described an important day for the bilateral relations with the US. “We believe there are huge opportunities to take our bilateral relations to the next level and it is on us to transform these opportunities to specific achievements,” he said.
The two countries hope that the strategic dialogue will bolster security and stability in a crisis-wracked region through initiatives including counterterrorism training of personnel from Middle Eastern countries and fighting sanctions evasion.
O’Brien pointed to a US-funded center on the island nation under the acronym CYCLOPS that trains personnel from Cyprus and neighboring countries on maritime and cybersecurity as well as counterterrorism techniques.
Kombos said his government remains committed to a partnership between local law enforcement, the US Department of Justice and the FBI in combating illicit finance and the evasion of sanctions against Russia and other countries.
The FBI is helping train Cypriot police in identifying and prosecuting cases of illegal financing and attempts to evade US, European Union and UN sanctions imposed on any third country.
“It’s dealing with crises like we see from the instability in the region,” O’Brien said. “It’s law enforcement cooperation on the sanctions enforcement and other cooperation so that we keep our people safe.”
Strategic Dialogue shows Cyprus is a partner of the US
Kombos said the start of the dialogue allows Cyprus to demonstrate that it’s a credible strategic partner to the US regarding humanitarian initiatives including the establishment earlier this year of a Cyprus-Gaza maritime corridor for the shipborne delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.
Regarding Cyprus’ inclusion in the visa waiver program, Kombos said that consultations with the US side are ongoing, and the government is waiting for the official announcement of the results regarding the threshold for the rejection of applications, which is one of the key technical criteria.
“We want to hope that a positive outcome on this issue will be formalized. As you know, the ratification of a recently signed agreement is pending in parliament, which is also a very important part of the preconditions.”
Last month, Cyprus and the US signed a defense cooperation framework agreement outlining how the two countries can respond to regional humanitarian crises and security concerns.
