Cyprus and the US announced on Monday they were launching a strategic dialogue to boost cooperation, following a meeting between Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington.
“This is an important moment in the relationship between the United States and Cyprus,” Blinken said at the State Department before his meeting with Kombos.
Kombos described it as “a historic moment because the Republic of Cyprus enters a category of states with which the US wants to have an institutionalized dialogue with. A dialogue which is intensive and is geared towards achieving specific results.”
The Cypriot minister heralded the development of strategic dialogue as a marked shift in how Cyprus is seen in the US. “The approach is no longer shaped by the wants of a neighboring country. There is a Republic of Cyprus that operates autonomously, and exercises sovereignty.”
Issues covered in Cyprus-US strategic dialogue
The strategic dialogue will cover six main issues: security, energy, trade, economic cooperation, research, and cybersecurity, and will take place through regular meetings between delegations from both countries, with the first meeting scheduled to take place in Nicosia next September.
The US Ambassador in Nicosia and the Cypriot Ambassador in Washington signed travel agreements that will allow Cyprus to be included in the Visa Waiver Program. One agreement deals with cooperation in the use of travel data and the other with flight safety.
The dialogue is an institutional tool used by the US to discuss issues of common interest with countries it has close relations with. The US has agreed to strategic dialogues with 30 countries, 13 of which are EU member states.
The first round of talks is slated to take place in Nicosia this September between senior officials from the foreign ministries of both countries.
Blinked stressed “I think it’s very powerful evidence of the strengthening, the deepening, the broadening of the relationship between our countries, acting together in so many different areas.”
He added the maritime corridor in Gaza is a “prominent example” of the deepening relationship “but if you look at what we’re doing in terms of trade, in terms of science and technology, in terms of security, in terms of education, in terms of people-to-people ties, you see a partnership, a relationship that’s growing stronger, that’s growing deeper.
“It’s a reflection of the fact that Cyprus is an important player in the region and a partnership for the United States that we deeply value.”
Related: Cyprus Foreign Minister Touts Strong Ties With Israel, US