In his first on-the-record interview since taking office last month, U.S. Ambassador John Breslow sketched out a series of practical projects that will shape mobility and security on the island. Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency on board the visiting destroyer USS Roosevelt, Breslow confirmed that Washington and Nicosia are "mid-way through" a 2024-2029 defence and security roadmap that includes upgrading facilities at Paphos International Airport and expanding the Cyclops Training Centre. According to Breslow, the Paphos works will add apron space, screening lanes and a modular arrivals hall able to process troops, humanitarian cargo and commercial passengers more quickly. Local officials say tender documents for phase-one construction – estimated at €25 million – will be released before year-end, with completion targeted for summer 2028. Although framed as a defence project, the additional capacity is expected to ease seasonal passenger congestion and create swing space that Hermes Airports can deploy during refurbishments at Larnaca. The Ambassador also highlighted Cyclops, the U.S.-funded hub in Larnaca that has quietly become a regional school for cyber-defence and border security. Since January more than 180 officers from Cyprus, Greece, Israel and Jordan have completed courses on document fraud, open-source intelligence and drone forensics run largely by the New Jersey National Guard. A second building, to be financed from the U.S. European Deterrence Initiative budget, will add virtual-reality border-inspection simulators and a secure network laboratory by mid-2027. For businesses the roadmap has two immediate implications. First, better airport infrastructure at Paphos should widen year-round route development opportunities; several airlines are already eyeing winter slots once construction timelines are clearer. Second, Cyclops positions Cyprus as a training destination for EU and Middle-East personnel, opening niches for accommodation, conference services and specialised technology vendors. Breslow hinted that Washington wants to extend the roadmap beyond 2029 and sign longer-duration waivers on the U.S. arms-transfer restrictions that still require annual renewal. While any decision rests with Congress, continuity would cement Cyprus’s role as a logistics and training node – a status that dovetails with the island’s Schengen-readiness push and ongoing digitalisation of immigration procedures.
Source: CBN / Cyprus News Agency
