Relationship dossier
Cyprus
United States
Relationship assessment
Growing U.S.–Cyprus cooperation in defense and security alongside support for a UN-led settlement of the island’s division
Cyprus toward United States
+45The Cypriot government has pursued defense and security cooperation with the United States through a bilateral defense cooperation roadmap and a strategic dialogue. Cyprus has also cooperated with U.S. humanitarian evacuation efforts.
United States toward Cyprus
+45The United States ended its arms embargo on Cyprus and expanded defense cooperation through bilateral arrangements. U.S. policy has also supported a UN-led settlement of the island’s division.
Overall relationship
+45The relationship has moved from a history of U.S. restrictions on arms transfers toward more structured defense, security, and diplomatic cooperation. U.S. support for a UN-led settlement remains an important feature of the bilateral relationship.
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 the United States have expanded cooperation in defense, security, and diplomacy. The governments established a defense cooperation roadmap and a strategic dialogue, while Cyprus has supported U.S. humanitarian evacuation efforts. The United States ended its arms embargo on Cyprus and has backed a UN-led settlement of the island’s division. These ties have developed despite the long history of U.S. restrictions on arms transfers to Cyprus.
Key developments
Cyprus and the United States established a bilateral defense cooperation roadmap.
The United States lifted its arms embargo on Cyprus.
Cyprus and the United States established a strategic dialogue.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of defense cooperation arrangements are unclear.
- The durability of U.S. arms-transfer policy toward Cyprus is uncertain.