Cyprus is maintaining contact with participants at the NATO summit in Ankara, seeking both information and opportunities to restate positions affecting the Republic’s interests, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said on Tuesday.
Although Cyprus is not a NATO member and cannot intervene directly in the summit, Kombos said Nicosia was closely monitoring discussions that could have wider geopolitical consequences.
Contacts over NATO summit
“We have been in contact with participants beforehand, while further contacts will also take place today,” Kombos said following a meeting of the House Foreign Affairs and European Affairs Committee.
The contacts are intended to ensure that Cyprus’s positions remain known, particularly among European officials, and to provide Nicosia with a clearer picture of the summit discussions.
Kombos said any developments affecting the wider region would be assessed once more detailed information became available.
The minister and Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna briefed MPs on the Republic’s foreign policy and the results of Cyprus’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Schengen decision expected
Kombos told the committee that Cyprus’s Schengen application was expected to be considered by the College of Commissioners this week, before being referred to the Council for a decision.
Committee chairman and DISY MP Giorgos Karoullas described accession to the Schengen area as a national priority, calling for any outstanding technical issues to be resolved quickly.
On the Cyprus problem, Kombos said Nicosia’s position on the involvement of the European Union was increasingly reflected at EU level and in draft reports by the UN Secretary-General.
He added that Turkey’s obligations towards Cyprus could not be removed from discussions concerning EU-Turkey relations or renewed movement on the Cyprus issue.
US visa waiver remains frozen
The technical assessment required for Cyprus to join the United States Visa Waiver Programme was completed in May last year, Kombos said.
Cyprus recorded a visa refusal rate of 2.55 per cent, the fourth-best result among candidate countries. However, the US administration has frozen the programme because of concerns over its potential impact on migration policy.
Kombos said Cyprus continued its efforts through contacts with the US State Department and officials responsible for migration policy.
Two bills are also pending before US legislative bodies regarding the lifting of the arms embargo on Cyprus. One provides for a three-year extension and the other for five years.
Turkey and the SAFE programme
Addressing questions about the EU’s SAFE defence programme, Kombos said Turkey remained excluded from participation at the intergovernmental level because of the programme’s conditions.
Turkish companies may participate indirectly through European companies that have access to the scheme, he said, but Turkey cannot receive funding directly.
The programme provides financing to strengthen the National Guard’s deterrent capabilities, while some contracts also involve Cyprus-based companies.
Diplomatic presence expanding
Kombos said the Foreign Ministry’s budget remained below one per cent of total government spending, although it had increased by approximately 10 per cent annually since 2023.
Cyprus has opened embassies in Kazakhstan, Argentina, Armenia and Ethiopia during the past three years and reopened its mission in Kenya. The government is also considering expanding its diplomatic presence elsewhere in Africa, subject to available resources.
Source: CNA
