The President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, stated that his country wishes to join NATO, but is facing opposition from Turkey.

The President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, stated on Friday that his country would request NATO membership immediately if political relations with Turkey would allow it. Cyprus is already preparing for a possible accession, conducting military and administrative activities to be ready in this regard. However, accession is blocked by Turkey, which has occupied the northern part of Cyprus since 1974 and can prevent the membership application of any candidate country.

Recently, Cyprus was targeted by a drone attack, which raised the security alert level and highlighted the vulnerabilities of the country in the face of regional tensions. Cyprus's Foreign Minister, Constantinos Kombos, warned that they expect a long-lasting conflict in Iran, and an attack on a NATO member state cannot be ruled out. The Akrotiri base, the largest British military base in the region, has recently been reinforced with new defense systems.