Cyprus seeks NATO membership — official plan presented
news.online.ua
Mon, 25 Nov 2024 18:11:00 +0200
Cyprus intends to join NATO what is knowNational Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called the Cyprus plan a winwin and emphasized its significant potential for regional stability.Initial discussions of this initiative began with former Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, and continued in the summer with representatives of the Pentagon.
The official presentation of the plan, which took place on October 30, brought the initiative to a new political level.Following his visit to the US, Christodoulidis discussed the strategy with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the European Political Community summit in Bucharest.
The key goal of the plan is to strengthen Cyprus ties with NATO and prepare for possible membership.
However, this process depends on progress in the settlement of the Cyprus conflict and the improvement of relations between the EU and Turkey.
A breakthrough on these issues could bring Ankara access to European institutions, which is currently blocked by Cyprus veto.
To realize the ambitious goals, Cyprus put forward three strategic requests of the USlongterm lifting of the arms embargo,expansion of military training programs,assistance in the modernization of the military potential.In particular, Nicosia hopes to receive American assistance to expand the Andreas Papandreou base in Paphos, which will allow it to meet NATO standards and accommodate US military forces on a permanent basis.Why is Cyprus still not in NATOCyprus occupies a special place among the countries of the European Union the country is a full member of it, but remains outside NATO.
This status is due to a complex interweaving of historical, geopolitical and internal factors.One of the key reasons is the protracted conflict on the island.
Since 1974, part of Cyprus has been under Turkish occupation, which maintains tensions between the two communities and makes it difficult to implement major foreign policy initiatives.Turkey, which recognizes only the Turkish government of Northern Cyprus, views any attempt by Cyprus to move closer to NATO as a direct threat.
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