End the Cyprus Embargo Act

The End the Cyprus Embargo Act would remove the U.S. government’s usual policy of denying exports, re-exports, or transfers of defense articles and defense services listed on the U.S. Munitions List (USML) to the Republic of Cyprus, effectively allowing such transactions under specified conditions. The change would apply when the Government of Cyprus makes the request and the end-user is the Cyprus government, but it would preserve a human rights-based exception. The President would have a one-year waiver option and there would be a termination mechanism after five years (with renewals) tied to Cyprus’s cooperation on money-laundering/financial regulation reforms and its denial of Russian naval access to Cypriot ports. The bill also signals support for expanding U.S.–Cyprus security ties, including broader cooperation under the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 and potential Cyprus participation in NATO’s Partnership for Peace. In short, the bill aims to lift or ease the embargo on defense trade with Cyprus, while tying long-term removal to Cyprus’s continued reforms and alignment with U.S. security objectives, and it places emphasis on strengthening the security relationship between the United States and Cyprus.