Relationship dossier
Cyprus
Greece
Relationship assessment
Cyprus and Greece maintain close diplomatic, European, and defense cooperation.
Cyprus toward Greece
+85Cyprus coordinates with Greece on European and regional policy and participates in longstanding bilateral defense cooperation, including the 1993 Joint Defense Doctrine.
Greece toward Cyprus
+85Greece has supported Cyprus’s EU accession and coordinates with the Cypriot government on the Cyprus issue and defense cooperation, including through the 1993 Joint Defense Doctrine.
Overall relationship
+85The relationship is anchored in sustained diplomatic coordination, Greece’s support for Cyprus’s EU accession, and longstanding bilateral defense cooperation. Shared positions on the Cyprus issue reinforce a close partnership, while the two governments retain distinct interests and policies on regional matters.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Cyprus and Greece maintain a close, sustained relationship shaped by Greek support for Cyprus’s European Union accession, coordination on the Cyprus issue, and longstanding defense cooperation. The two governments also coordinate within European and regional settings. Their relationship is especially close on security and diplomatic questions, though it does not eliminate differences over policy or regional priorities.
Key developments
The Joint Defense Doctrine established a framework for defense cooperation between Cyprus and Greece.
Cyprus joined the European Union, following sustained Greek support for its accession.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral defense arrangements are unclear.
- The extent of coordination on regional energy and security initiatives varies over time.