President Nikos Christodoulides confirmed on Tuesday that the island has asked the United States for military equipment available either for free or at reduced cost under the US Excess Defence Articles programme.

Speaking in an interview with PlusTV, he said that last week the defence ministry sent a detailed list of the military material Cyprus wants.

He expressed hope that the US government will approve the request soon.

Military officers specialising in such matters will travel to the United States to inspect the offered weapon systems before final decisions are taken on any purchases, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas told CyBC radio.

He said in the past, Cyprus was supplied by Russia but chose a western orientation from 2004 with its accession to the European Union.

Christodoulides also highlighted efforts to strengthen Cyprus’ defence through international cooperation.

Plans include upgrades to the Andreas Papandreou Air Base and the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base in Mari. The US has shown interest in the air base project, while France is involved in the naval base upgrade.

The president added that talks are ongoing with the European Commission to secure EU funding for the naval base, allowing it to be used by other EU member states.

On broader defence issues, he said that Turkey could only take part in the EU’s Safe funding programme for military equipment if it signed a defence agreement with the EU.

Such an agreement would require unanimous approval by the EU Council, where Cyprus has a seat.