Senator Robert Menendez announced the introduction of an amendment to the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) that would extend the time required to renew 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 reasonable step that will allow for longer-term planning so as to better coordinate the cooperation between Washington and Nicosia in the field of security.

According to existing legislation, the chairman 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 waiver).

If Senator Menendez’s amendment is adopted in the final Authorization Act text, it will effectively mean that the lifting of the embargo will be renewed on a three-year basis.

Senator Menendez noted that he was proud to see his bipartisan Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Cooperation Act passed a few years ago, paving the way for the provision of defence systems vital to bolstering Cyprus’ defence.

As Cyprus has fulfilled the requirements to receive such defence 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 other regional allies and partners in the future, he added.

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