Opposition Akel said Tuesday it demands a full accounting of what really lies behind the ‘strategic dialogue’ initiated between Cyprus and the United States and which was announced with much pomp a day earlier.

The left-leaning party, a longtime critic of US foreign policy, said it will seek a formal briefing from the government regarding the content of the Cyprus-US strategic dialogue, at the next session of the National Council as well as at the foreign affairs parliamentary committee.

“The [Nikos] Christodoulides administration is in lockstep with the Anastasiades government in terms of Cyprus’ subservience to US strategic objectives in the region, via the deepening of military cooperation between the United States and Cyprus,” read Akel’s statement.

“This [military cooperation] evidently forms the core of the Cyprus-United States strategic dialogue, as is apparent from the public statements made.”

The party cited media reports quoting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as saying that over the last eight months the United States has learned the strategic value of the island for military and humanitarian operations.

It zeroed in on the reference to the past eight months, pointing out that this coincides with the timeframe of the conflict in Gaza.

“The Christodoulides administration needs to answer the questions which Akel posed months ago. We want to know what are the military operations carried out ‘over the last eight months’ which Cyprus was involved in, that is, during the time period that Israel has been carrying out a genocide against the Palestinians.”

Akel also demanded answers regarding the use of the British bases here by the United States “in supporting Israel in the barbaric war it wages in Gaza”.

The statement added: “How can Mr Christodoulides state that he is a defender of international law when it comes to Ukraine, while at the same time he stands by the Netanyahu government that is steeping an entire people in bloodshed?”

Akel said Cyprus’ “subservience” to the United States “does not constitute a geopolitical upgrade, nor does it make our country a pillar of stability.

“To the contrary – the involvement of the Republic of Cyprus in the further militarisation of the eastern Mediterranean to serve the interests of the United States and its regional allies, turns our island into a staging point for warfare, entailing immense risks for our people.”