Minister: Cyprus a ‘reliable’ security partner to US

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus’ foreign minister says that the east Mediterranean island nation has “all the ingredients” to be a “credible and reliable partner” for the U.S. in maintaining stability and security in the region. Veteran politician Ioannis Kasoulides, who came out of retirement to retake his old job after the resignation of Nikos Christodoulides, says that bilateral relations with the U.S. have grown by “leaps and bounds” since 2013. In a statement to the Associated Press on Friday ahead of his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Kasoulides said the improvement in relations has culminated in a law that the U.S. Congress passed in 2019 lifting an embargo on non-lethal defense materiel and services.