On Monday, September 9, 2024, Celeste Wallander, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, and Vasilis Palmas, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Cyprus (ROC), signed the U.S.-ROC Roadmap for Bilateral Defense Cooperation in Nicosia. The two issued a joint statement on the signing, available here.
The roadmap is a foundational agreement on the priorities and direction of the bilateral defense relationship over the next five years, a welcome step forward in our security partnership. This signing builds on the second U.S.-ROC Defense and Security Cooperation Dialogue held in Washington last June to enhance stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean.
During her visit from September 9 to 10, Assistant Secretary Wallander also discussed regional events and bilateral cooperation with ROC President Nikos Christodoulides and visited the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Larnaca. She thanked the ROC for its continued leadership in regional humanitarian aid and for its support of citizens in crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean.