Cyprus could become a member of NATO when conditions permit, the country's president says

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus could apply to become a member of NATO once its armed forces receive the necessary training and equipment with U.S. help to bring them up to the standards of the world's premier military alliance, the president of the Mediterranean island nation said Thursday.

President Nikos Christodoulides put Cyprus on a trajectory for possible NATO membership, ending weeks of media speculation about his government's intentions following his meeting with President Joe Biden in Washington last month.

The development goes against Cyprus' long-held policy of neutrality harking back to the Cold War era, when it walked a political tightrope between Washington and Moscow.

Christodoulides said that although Cyprus cannot join NATO at this time because of objections that alliance member Turkey would raise to its potential membership, the Cypriot National Guard shouldn't be denied the opportunity to upgrade its defensive capabilities with U.S. assistance.

Turkey, which maintains more than 35,000 troops in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot northern part of ethnically divided Cyprus, doesn't recognize the island's government, which is based in the Greek Cypriot southern part.

Christodoulides did not elaborate on how Turkish objections could be sidestepped. But the U.N. is currently working to prepare for a resumption of peace talks between the rival sides in Cyprus, which was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded, following a coup by supporters of uniting the island with Greece.

Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu quoted unnamed Turkish Defense Ministry officials as saying that any Cypriot bid for NATO membership is ''an unacceptable development for Turkey,'' which would disrupt ''the delicate balance concerning the Cyprus issue and negatively affect'' any peace talks.

''Because we don't want the National Guard to lose such opportunities, we're in talks with the U.S. — and we thank them for their positive response — on how the Cyprus Republic can make the best use of these opportunities, so when everything is in its place, the Cyprus Republic can become a member state of NATO,'' Christodoulides told The Associated Press.

''The strengthening of the Cyprus Republic's deterrent capabilities is of the utmost importance, and we take advantage of every opportunity, both in the direction of the United States and NATO, but also the European Union,'' he added.

Christodoulides said Cyprus' geographic location — it's the closest EU member state to the Middle East, at just 182 kilometers (114 miles) from the Lebanese capital, Beirut — has given impetus to planned upgrades to its military infrastructure. He said the government is currently in talks with the U.S. for upgrades to a key air base and with the EU for a naval base.

Following his meeting with Biden, Christodoulides told the AP of his government's commitment to expanding defense and security cooperation with the U.S.

Cyprus' Andreas Papandreou air base on its southwestern edge is currently hosting a U.S. Marine contingent and a number of V-22 Osprey tiltrotor military transport and cargo aircraft prepositioned to assist in potential evacuations from nearby Lebanon and elsewhere.