Biden makes Cyprus eligible for U.S. defense articles and defense services

President Joe Biden issued a January 15, 2025 memorandum finding the Republic of Cyprus eligible to receive defense articles and defense services under the Foreign Assistance Act and Arms Export Control Act. The determination allowed Cyprus to access defense cooperation that had been restricted for decades under U.S. law and policy, subject to statutory conditions and implementation by the State Department. The action mattered because Cyprus sits at a strategic point in the eastern Mediterranean, and defense eligibility affects U.S. security cooperation, regional diplomacy, and arms-transfer oversight.