Cyprus shares secret NATO plan with US – media

Nicosia has reportedly asked for US arms and military investments, despite objections from long-time member Türkiye

Cyprus has shared a long-term plan with the US on how it believes it can join NATO despite opposition from long-time member Türkiye, the Greek newspaper Kathimerini claimed on Sunday.

The island is a former British colony, and remains a significant British naval base. It was left divided in 1974 after Türkiye intervened militarily to preempt possible annexation by Greece. The subsequent separation into ethnic Greek and Turkish-controlled halves remains a source of tension between the two NATO members, which both joined the US-led military bloc in 1952.

President Nikos Christodoulides, who leads the Athens-aligned Republic of Cyprus, met with US President Joe Biden in late October. According to Kathimerini, he presented Biden a roadmap for overcoming the dispute with Ankara and becoming a NATO member.

The newspaper described it as “detailed [and] well-thought-out” and winning the approval of the outgoing Democratic administration. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reportedly called it a “win-win” for the parties involved. Christodoulides is said to have also shared his proposal with former Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland, before she left her position earlier this year.

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The Greek Cypriot leader asked the US for several policy changes, Kathimerini reported, such as lifting an arms trade embargo. The ban exists on paper, although in recent years the US State Department has issued special waivers to allow weapons supplies, much to the chagrin of Ankara.

Cyprus also wants increased training of its National Guard by the US and investments in its military infrastructure, the report said. Washington could deploy a permanent contingent of troops to the Andreas Papandreou airbase, which is located next to Paphos International Airport, the plan supposedly suggests.

The reported multi-stage roadmap also requires a parallel rapprochement between Türkiye and the EU, to which Cyprus belongs. Ankara has no formal diplomatic relations with Nicosia.

A NATO presence exists on the island despite its divided state, since the UK kept two areas of the island for military use when it granted Cyprus independence in 1960. The British operate a US over-the-horizon radar station at one of the bases.

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The idea of formally bringing Cyprus into the NATO fold has numerous proponents, including in the Atlantic Council, a think-tank widely considered the mouthpiece of the bloc. In 2019, its Executive Vice President Damon Wilson argued that accession could facilitate the eventual reunification of the island.