Bill Submitted to US Congress to Lift Cyprus Arms Embargo

The bill, which was introduced by Republican congresswoman from New York Nicole Malliotakis, seeks to effectively strike the embargo from the statute books, rewording the existing legislation to the point at which the embargo does not apply.

It would remove all references in the existing legislation to “limitations on the transfer of articles on the US munitions list to the Republic of Cyprus”, including the current annual waiver renewal decreed by the US president of the day.

This, in essence, would end the US embargo on arms transferred to the Republic of Cyprus.

The bill was submitted two and a half months after then-US President Joe Biden had issued a Presidential determination which incorporated the Republic of Cyprus into three programmes run by the US department of defence.

Those are the US defence security cooperation agency’s foreign military sales (FMS) programme, its excess defence articles (EDA) programme, and programmes to allocate resources under the US’ ‘Title 10’ security assistance provisions.

It is the inclusion into the FMS programme which will allow the government to purchase military hardware directly from the US government, with the country previously having only been able to buy US military hardware from private companies.

Being able to circumvent private companies will allow the government to buy weapons and other hardware at cheaper prices than before, given that the US government typically acquires its apparatus in bulk, and is thus able to sell it on for cheaper prices than what private companies would offer to a military of the National Guard’s size.

The US placed an embargo on arms being transported to Cyprus in 1987 hoping such a move would coerce the island’s population into solving the Cyprus problem.

The embargo was then lifted with conditions in 2022 under the East Med Security and Energy Partnership Act, which hinges on the US president of the day certifying each year that Cyprus continues to meet a list of requirements outlined in the act.

Those conditions relate to whether the Cypriot government is cooperating with the US on matters such as anti-money laundering regulations and financial regulatory oversight, as well as Cyprus denying Russian military vessels access to its ports for refuelling and servicing.

In addition to the lifting of the arms embargo, Malliotakis’ bill aims to enhance counterterrorism and maritime security cooperation between the US, the Republic of Cyprus, Greece, and Israel.

It foresees enhanced cooperation within a ‘3+1’ structure between the four countries, and stresses the close relations between them.

Of Cyprus, the bill highlights that the country has been described by the state department as “an important partner for regional stability, security, and prosperity” for the US, with an “important geostrategic position”, while cooperation between the US and Cyprus has been said to be at a “historic high”.

It added that the US and Cyprus have “engaged in a strategic dialogue involving counterterrorism coordination”.

“Together, the US, Israel, Greece, and the Republic of Cyprus share the mutual goal of ensuring the eastern Mediterranean is protected from threats of terrorism,” the bill said.

It added that the US and Cyprus “have a history of strong counterterrorism cooperation”, particularly since Hamas’ attack on Israeli settlements near Gaza in October 2023.

This, the bill said, has included increased patrols at airports, harbours, marinas and ports, as well as assessing “high-threat targets, mostly of Israeli and US interests”.

It also pointed out that Cyprus was threatened in June 2024 by late Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

With this in mind, the bill calls for an expansion of “official strategic engagement” between Israel, Greece, Cyprus and the US regarding counterterrorism and maritime security, and increased support for joint exercises from the US towards those three countries.

It also proposes enhanced US support for counterterrorism initiatives at the Cyclops centre in Larnaca, as well as $5 million (€4.6m) for new equipment at the centre and $2m (€1.8m) for “annual general support” every year until 2029.

Additionally, it calls for the creation of an interparliamentary eastern Mediterranean security cooperation group comprising parliamentarians from all four countries, as well as an equivalent inter-executive group comprising representatives from the executive branches of all four countries’ governments.

The bill foresees that both groups will meet not less frequently than twice each year.

Source: Cyprus Mail