Cyprus and the US sign a defense deal outlining ways to tackle regional crises

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Sunday, December 15, 2024

10/09/2024

Cyprus and the US sign a defense deal outlining ways to tackle regional crises

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, (right), meets with Cyprus' Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos on June 17 at the State Department in Washington. (AP)

NICOSIA, Cyprus, Sept 10, (AP): Cyprus and the United States have signed a defense cooperation framework agreement that outlines ways the two countries can enhance their response to regional humanitarian crises and security concerns, including those arising from climate change.

Cyprus Defense Minister Vassilis Palmas and US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander hailed the agreement on Monday as another milestone in burgeoning Cypriot-US ties in recent years that saw the lifting in 2022 of a decades-old US arms embargo imposed on the east Mediterranean island nation.

"The Republic of Cyprus is a strong partner to the United States, in Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, and plays a pivotal role at the nexus of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East,” Wallander said after talks with Palmas.