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A U.S. Senate committee advanced legislation that would significantly extend Washington's ability to transfer weapons to the Greek Cypriot administration on Thursday, a move that could further militarize the eastern Mediterranean and complicate regional security dynamics.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee reported S. 2018 favorably on Oct. 30, with the bill now placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders as Calendar No. 234. Sen. James Risch reported the measure with an amendment in the nature of a substitute, without issuing a written report.
The legislation would triple the duration of presidential waivers that allow defense equipment transfers to Greek Cyprus, extending the period from one fiscal year to three fiscal years. The change applies to restrictions on transferring items from the United States Munitions List to the Greek Cypriot administration.
Introduced June 10 by Sen. Cory Booker with co-sponsorship from Sen. Jerry Moran, the bill modifies provisions in the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.
The Foreign Relations Committee ordered the bill reported favorably with amendments on Oct. 22 before formally advancing it eight days later. The measure affects both security assistance programs and commercial defense sales to the Greek Cypriot administration.
The legislation comes as Cyprus remains divided following Türkiye's 1974 peace operation, which was launched to protect Turkish Cypriots after a Greek-backed coup, according to Türkiye.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, established in 1983, remains recognized only by Türkiye, while the Greek Cypriot administration in the south claims to represent the entire island.
No date has been set for full Senate consideration of the measure.
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