Journalist sources revealed that on October 30, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides discussed the issue of NATO membership in Washington with U.S. President Joe Biden, and later with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Specifically, Christodoulides talked with Biden about a "detailed, thoughtful, long-term plan" for joining the Alliance, which consists of several stages and is reportedly already accepted by Washington.
According to the publication, the first stage involves the "institutionalization of relations" between the Republic of Cyprus and NATO; however, unresolved issues in the relationship between the European Union and Turkey, on which Nicosia has imposed vetoes regarding certain cooperation aspects, could hinder this process.
Cyprus has also requested assistance from the U.S. to achieve three strategic objectives: to gain the ability to purchase defense equipment from the U.S.; to facilitate the training of Cyprus National Guard fighters at military academies in the United States; and to obtain guarantees from Washington regarding the U.S. contribution to Cyprus's gradual transition to NATO standards.