Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has determined and certified to Congress that the Republic of Cyprus has met the necessary conditions under applicable law to authorize exports, re-exports, and transfers of defense items to the Republic of Cyprus for fiscal year 2023.
Compliance with the conditions is assessed annually. As a result of this decision and certification, the Secretary lifted the defense trade restrictions for the Republic of Cyprus for fiscal year 2023. The international arms trade regulations will be amended to reflect the new policy, effective October 1, 2022.
The Eastern Mediterranean Energy and Security Partnership Act of 2019 and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 require that the policy of denying the export, re-export, or transfer of defense items on the United States Munitions List to the Republic of Cyprus remain in effect.
Instead, unless the President determines and certifies to the appropriate committees of Congress at least annually that the Government of the Republic of Cyprus continues to cooperate with the Government of the United States in efforts to implement anti-money laundering and financial regulatory oversight reforms, and that the Government of the Republic of Cyprus has taken and continues to take action necessary to deny Russian military vessels access to ports for refueling and servicing. In accordance with both laws, the department annually inspects compliance with the laws.
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