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The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis, said that his country intends to become a member of NATO and is negotiating with Washington on ways to join the Alliance, writes DW.
According to him, Cyprus is discussing with the USA the three proposed levels of the republic's membership in the Alliance. He also noted that the fact that Cyprus cannot be a NATO member state due to Turkey's objection deprives the country's army of many opportunities for both modernization and the acquisition of military equipment.
Christodoulidis called the key advantage of Cyprus the geographical position of the island "in an area of special geostrategic importance". At the same time, when asked about the deadlines for submitting a potential application for joining NATO, he answered: "The less we talk about it, the closer we are to our goal."
The acceptance of Cyprus into NATO is an important precedent
According to NATO rules, a state with unresolved territorial problems cannot be included in it. The Republic of Cyprus controls about 60% of the island of the same name, the rest of which is occupied by the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Earlier, the media reported that the President of Cyprus discussed the strategy of the country's gradual rapprochement with NATO at a meeting with US President Joe Biden. It is argued that the detailed and thought-out plan is designed for a long-term period and consists of many interdependent stages.
Ukraine's entry into NATO
In the Verkhovna Rada, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented a victory plan to Ukrainians, the first point of which involves inviting our country to NATO.
According to the permanent representative of the US to NATO in the administration of President Joe Biden, Julianna Smith, the Alliance has not yet reached the point where they can extend an invitation to Ukraine.
Recently, the current chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, opposed the invitation of Ukraine to NATO "just now".
