Cyprus remains optimistic that Donald Trump‘s return to the White House would not disrupt the recently strengthened bilateral relations with the United States, following President Nikos Christodoulides‘s historic meeting with Joe Biden – the first such meeting between leaders of the two nations in 26 years.
The development of Cyprus-US relations has marked a significant departure from past dynamics, where ties were primarily viewed through the prism of Turkey and complicated by Cyprus’s previous economic relationships with Russian oligarchs.
The gradual enhancement of relations with Israel and the formation of trilateral alliances including Greece helped reshape Washington’s perspective on Nicosia.
A milestone in this diplomatic evolution was US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s brief but substantial visit to Cyprus in September 2020.
This led to Cyprus’s inclusion in the US military education programme IMET, a partial lifting of the arms embargo, and the establishment of CYCLOPS (Cyprus Center for Land, Open Seas and Port Security).
The Christodoulides administration, since March 2023, has worked to expand cooperation with Washington, despite different regional approaches under Biden compared to Trump.
The Gaza conflict has brought the two nations closer, particularly through Cyprus’s humanitarian corridor initiative, “Operation Amalthea”, which received strong US backing.
Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos has emphasised that diplomatic progress will continue regardless of US leadership changes.
Speaking to Omega, he noted that Cyprus maintains strong contacts with Republican senators and highlighted that the strategic dialogue between the two countries began under Republican leadership and continued under Democratic administration.
Both the Foreign Ministry and Presidential Palace recognise this as a crucial opportunity to demonstrate Cyprus’s geostrategic value to the United States.
The relationship has evolved beyond the Cyprus problem, focusing instead on bilateral cooperation across various sectors, with potential benefits for the resolution process emerging as a secondary outcome.
The parallel engagement with US legislators, though less publicised, has proved crucial.
A group of senators visited Cyprus in October, meeting with President Christodoulides at the Andreas Papandreou airbase to discuss regional developments and potential changes in US governance.
These legislative relationships have been instrumental in significant policy shifts, including the partial lifting of the arms embargo that had been in place for nearly five decades.
