Cyprus has welcomed the US government’s decision to renew for fiscal year 2027 the waiver of International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, restrictions applying to the Republic, while Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side criticised the move.
The Foreign Ministry said the decision allows the export, re-export and transfer of defence articles and defence services from the United States to Cyprus for the specified period.
According to the ministry, the renewal reflects the continued expansion of the strategic partnership between Cyprus and the United States, including cooperation in defence and security.
It also reflects what the ministry described as the two countries’ shared priorities in the region and their commitment to promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the eastern Mediterranean.
Cyprus and the United States have expanded cooperation in recent years in security, crisis management and Non-combatant Evacuation Operations.
The Foreign Ministry said this progress was reflected in the establishment of the Defence and Security Cooperation Dialogue in 2021, the signing of the Bilateral Defence Cooperation Roadmap in 2024 and Cyprus’s access to US defence programmes, including Foreign Military Sales and Excess Defense Articles.
The ministry said renewal of the ITAR waiver would help deepen bilateral cooperation further.
Cyprus also expressed appreciation for continued bipartisan efforts in the United States and legislative initiatives in Congress aimed at extending the current exemption framework over the longer term.
According to the ministry, such a development would improve predictability and stability in Cyprus-US defence and security cooperation while providing a more stable framework for long-term defence procurement planning.
Ankara and Turkish Cypriot side criticise decision
Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side criticised the US decision to renew the lifting of defence restrictions on Cyprus for fiscal year 2027.
Both argued that the move could have a negative effect on trust between the two communities and on security in the region.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said actions that could, in its view, further erode trust between the two sides in Cyprus should be avoided and said it shared the position expressed in a statement by the Turkish Cypriot administration’s foreign affairs office.
The Turkish ministry claimed that the Greek Cypriot side was “intensifying the pressure it exerts” on the Turkish Cypriot community and that its military procurement activities were undermining regional stability.
It added that Turkey, as a guarantor power, would continue to defend the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots and “ensure their security”.
The Turkish Cypriot administration’s foreign affairs office expressed “deep regret” over the US decision, arguing that it ignored the “realities on the island and in the region” and could encourage further military procurement.
Its statement said that at a time of serious conflict and critical developments, particularly in the Middle East, international actors should take into account the “sensitive balances” in the eastern Mediterranean and take steps that contribute to peace and stability.
It also called on the international community to pursue a “fair and balanced policy” and repeated the Turkish Cypriot position in favour of “two separate states and two separate peoples” in Cyprus.
Both Ankara and the Turkish Cypriot side said they would continue cooperating on issues concerning the security and interests of the Turkish Cypriot community.
