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Cyprus is taking steps to strengthen its military capabilities with help from both the European Union and the United States, government officials announced on Wednesday, marking another sign of deepening strategic ties between Nicosia and Washington.
President Nikos Christodoulides chaired a high-level ministerial meeting focused on tapping into new EU financial tools and U.S. defense programs that the Republic of Cyprus is now eligible for. The goal? To modernize the island’s defensive shield and improve long-term deterrence.
Today’s meeting was about more than funding; it was about ensuring the security of Cyprus in an increasingly complex geopolitical neighborhood, said Government Spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis in a written statement.
The ministers of finance, defense, justice, and European affairs took part in the discussions, which centered around how Cyprus can make the most of its new access to resources previously unavailable to the country.
Among the key decisions:
- Cyprus plans to join the EU’s SAFE financial framework, a defense-focused initiative that supports member states with security needs. A team from the European Commission will visit Cyprus later this month to begin working out the details.
- The government will also explore defense financing options through the European Investment Bank, which offers targeted investment mechanisms for security projects.
- Cyprus will submit formal requests to the U.S. government under two key programs, Excess Defense Articles (EDA) and Foreign Military Sales (FMS), to obtain military equipment. These programs became available to Cyprus following a U.S. policy shift in January 2025.
The move reflects the growing alignment between Cyprus and the U.S., particularly in defense cooperation. Once sidelined due to past arms restrictions, Cyprus is now positioning itself as a more active partner in regional security efforts, alongside Greece and Israel, which are countries frequently named as Washington’s reliable allies in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Letymbiotis also noted that Cyprus aims to prioritize purchases from local defense companies, supporting the domestic industry while contributing to broader EU efforts to ramp up defense spending across member states.
With tensions in the region simmering and military investments increasing across Europe, the Christodoulides administration is signaling that Cyprus is ready to play a more assertive role, backed by its Western allies.
