Senator Robert Menendez announced the introduction of an amendment to the National Defense Budget Bill (NDAA) that will extend the time required to renew the lifting of the arms embargo on the Republic of Cyprus. After the complete lifting of the embargo and the fulfillment of all obligations on the part of Cyprus, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate explained that this is a logical step that will allow for a longer-term planning with the aim of better coordinating the cooperation between Washington and Nicosia in the field of security.

According to the existing legislation, the president had assigned the State Department to certify every year that Cyprus continues to fulfill all the conditions included in the East Med Act in order to renew the lifting of the embargo (annual waver). If Senator Menendez’s amendment is adopted in the final budget text, it will effectively mean that the lifting of the embargo will be renewed on a three-year basis.

“I was proud to see my bipartisan Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Cooperation Act passed a few years ago, paving the way for the provision of defense systems vital to bolstering Cyprus’ defenses.

As Cyprus has met the requirements to receive such defense systems, this amendment will allow for long-term planning that will ultimately improve security coordination between the United States and the Republic of Cyprus and, hopefully, other regional allies and partners in the future,” noted Senator Menendez.