Cyprus and US announce launch of strategic dialogue
Cyprus and the United States announced on Monday they were launching a strategic dialogue to boost cooperation, following a meeting between Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington.
The strategic dialogue will cover six main issues: security, energy, trade, economic cooperation, research, and cybersecurity, and will take place through regular meetings between delegations from both countries, with the first meeting scheduled to take place in Nicosia next September.
The US Ambassador in Nicosia and the Cypriot Ambassador in Washington signed travel agreements that will allow Cyprus to be included in the Visa Waiver Program. One agreement deals with cooperation in the use of travel data and the other with flight safety.
The dialogue is an institutional tool used by the US to discuss issues of common interest with countries it has close relations with. The US has agreed to strategic dialogues with 30 countries, 13 of which are EU member states.
