Cyprus on Friday welcomed the extension of the lifting of the US arms embargo for the 2024 fiscal year.
Following the decision of the US state department that will continue to allow the sale of US arms to the island for the coming year, the foreign ministry issued a statement expressing its satisfaction.
“The decision of the US Government demonstrates the continued upgrading of Cyprus-US bilateral relations in the field of security and defence.
“Our goal remains to deepen this strategic partnership conducted on the basis of international law and the need to build conditions of security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region,” the foreign ministry said.
The decision is based on the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act enacted by the US Congress in 2019.
A US arms embargo, in force since 1987, was lifted in September 2022, but under the East Med Security and Energy Partnership Act arms sales are contingent on the US president certifying each year that Cyprus continues to meet all the conditions outlined in the act to warrant the renewal of the annual waiver.
Earlier this year, US Senator Robert Menendez had introduced an amendment to the US National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) that would have extended the present one-year renewal period on arms sales to the Republic of Cyprus to every three years.
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