A cross-party group of MPs has founded a Cyprus chapter of Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI).

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, the Israeli embassy said the move reflects a “strong and growing partnership” and broad parliamentary support for relations.

It said, “cooperation between Israel, Cyprus, Greece and the United States remains essential for the security and prosperity of the Eastern Mediterranean”.

The chapter is led by Diko leader Nikolas Papadopoulos as its president, with Disy MPs George Karoullas, Charalambos Petrides, as well as Elam MP Sotiris Ioannou as its deputies.

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Combined, Disy, Diko and Elam hold 33 seats in parliament, allowing the bloc to carry resolutions and ratify international agreements in support of closer ties with Israel.

Papadopoulos said the three parties agree that steps taken by both the current and previous government to deepen ties with the United States and Israel were “absolutely right”, and that the chapter should help cooperation on energy and defence.

‘Friendship is not theoretical’

Petrides, who was defence minister from 2020 to 2023, said the Cyprus-Israel-US relationship “is not a theoretical concept”.

He cited a US defence dialogue, the lifting of the American arms embargo in September 2022 and a partnership with the New Jersey National Guard.

Elam MP Sotiris Ioannou pointed to Turkey’s “continued aggressive behaviour” as a shared concern.

Benedetta Buttiglione, of the AJC Transatlantic Institute, said the chapter would act as a “parliamentary lever”.

TFI was founded in 2019 by the AJC Transatlantic Institute, the Brussels office of the American Jewish Committee, holding some 154 members of parliament and chapters in the European Parliament, the US Congress, Italy and Austria.

When Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Nicosia on September 10, President Nikos Christodoulides said he wanted to “enhance our strategic partnership at all levels”.

Israeli arrivals have proved the second-largest source of visitors to Cyprus after Britain, for in August this year, 135,628 Israelis visited, compared with 105,597 a year earlier, with more than 200 connecting flights a week.

Defence links with the island

Israel has emerged as one of Cyprus’ largest suppliers of defence equipment, including the Barak MX air defence systems and radars, with the government presently assessing further purchases, including possible Merkava tanks.

Moreover, on defence, Cyprus’ eligibility for up to €1.18 billion under the EU’s SAFE financing programme has proved of interest to Israeli defence firms seeking to operate on the island as a means of accessing funds.

Energy is the deepest link between Cyprus and Israel, though both nations negotiating over Aphrodite, a Chevron-operated gas reservoir that extends across the maritime boundary into Israel’s Yishai field.

Energean has also proposed an undersea pipeline from Israel’s Karish field, which would make Cyprus the first European country to import Israeli gas.

The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (Bursa) is likewise considering a bid for the Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE), with access to the eurozone market cited as the main attraction.

A recent poll conducted by CyBC found 41 per cent of Cypriots see Israel as a country Cyprus can rely on for defence, against only 9.5 per cent in May 2024.