Senate passes East Med partnership bill

In a 71-23 vote the US Senate on Thursday passed the ‘Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership’ bill applying to Cyprus and Greece.

The bill had earlier been passed by the US House of Representatives.

Among others it mandates the compilation of a report scrutinising Turkey’s violations of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but also one detailing Russia’s influence in Cyprus.

Next the US Senate is set to approve the budget on national defence, which includes provisions for the lifting of the decades-old arms embargo on Cyprus.

The Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership is included in the final package of the bill on appropriations.

The procedure should be wrapped up by December 20 and be signed by Friday evening by President Donald Trump.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.