First non-diplomat named US ambassador to Cyprus arrives on island

Politics Cyprus problemNikos ChristodoulidesTop NewsUnited States First non-diplomat named US ambassador to Cyprus arrives on island Breslow Collage 1536x864 Relevant News Motorcyclist, 24, in extremely critical condition after serious crash 7 September 2026 First non-diplomat named US ambassador to Cyprus arrives on island 7 September 2026 Girl, 10, hurt by battery thrown at APOEL-AEL match 7 September 2026 Andreas Bimbishis 7 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber John Breslow, the new US ambassador to Cyprus, has arrived on the island and is expected to present his credentials to President Nikos Christodoulides in the coming days. The US embassy in Cyprus announced his arrival in a post on X, saying Breslow looks forward to the upcoming presentation of his credentials. President Donald Trump appointed Breslow, and the Senate confirmed his nomination on August 7, 2026. He is the first politically appointed, non-career diplomat to take up the post of US ambassador to Cyprus, succeeding Julie Davis, whose tenure saw Cyprus-US relations climb to new heights. The high point of that period came on October 30, 2024, when President Christodoulides visited the Oval Office to meet President Biden, the first time a Cypriot president had been invited to the White House since 1996. That visit came days after the first round of the newly institutionalised Cyprus-US Strategic Dialogue in Nicosia, and months after Cyprus signed a defence agreement with the Pentagon. Breslow has no prior diplomatic experience and is not a well-known political figure. Diplomats and political observers have long debated whether he will pick up where Davis left off, and in particular whether he can resolve several long-standing outstanding matters between the two countries. Born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, Breslow spent most of his career in the private sector as owner and board chairman of Linweld, an industrial gas and welding equipment company. He served as Nebraska State Auditor from 1991 to 1999 and unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Nebraska governor in 1998. Breslow’s Senate testimony During his April hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Breslow described the US-Cyprus relationship as an “enduring friendship” built on cooperation and a shared commitment to peace, saying the bilateral relationship rests on a common vision for stability and prosperity in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean. He pointed to deepening security ties, particularly since the December 2018 Declaration of Intent on bilateral security cooperation and the 2019 East Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act. He also stressed Cyprus’s strategic importance at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and referred to coordination between the two countries on security and training. Breslow said his first priority would be the safety of American citizens in Cyprus, acknowledging the Republic of Cyprus’s role in recent years in supporting operations to evacuate them from crisis areas. He also set a goal of further strengthening trade and investment ties, saying close cooperation between the two countries has increased the confidence of American companies in establishing or expanding operations in Cyprus. On the Cyprus problem, he committed to continuing support for a Cyprus-owned, UN-facilitated effort to reunify the island on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality for all Cypriots, in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Achievements between 2023 and 2026 A Bilateral Defence Cooperation Roadmap (September 2024) between Cyprus and the US, part of cementing the full lifting of the arms embargo announced in September 2022 shortly before Davis took up her post. It was signed by Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas and US Deputy Secretary of Defense Celeste Wallander, in Davis’s presence. Davis’s remarks at her farewell meeting with President Christodoulides in May 2026, describing “two remarkable years,” particularly in security cooperation. Continued coordination around the Cyprus Maritime Corridor, with US recognition of Cyprus’s role in evacuation operations from Lebanon, Sudan and Israel. US participation and support, alongside the European Commission, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the UAE and the UK, for the Cypriot initiative to transport aid to Gaza via Larnaca. Progress in the review process for Cyprus’s accession to the Visa Waiver Program, including a visit by a US interagency team during Davis’s tenure. Annual certifications of Cyprus-US cooperation under the East Med Act/NDAA. The Cyprus-US Strategic Dialogue: foreign ministers Antony Blinken and Konstantinos Kombos agreed in June 2024 to institutionalise the format, with Cyprus joining a group of 30 countries with which the US holds such talks. The first session took place in October 2024 at the Presidential Palace, with Kombos and US Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien, covering security, education and investment. The dialogue continued under the Trump administration, with Kombos meeting Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department in November 2025; the meeting confirmed relations were at a historically high level and reaffirmed the strategic nature of energy cooperation, with continued support within the UN Security Council framework. A June 2026 summit in Houston, where Cyprus’s and Greece’s energy ministers, Israel’s ambassador and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright agreed on a cooperation roadmap for 2026 covering energy security, natural gas, innovation and connectivity. Outstanding issues On the Visa Waiver Program, Cyprus has completed the technical accession criteria, including system interoperability and a visa refusal rate below 3%. However, the US administration is reassessing the programme overall and has not added new countries, an obstacle that is not specific to Cyprus but directly affects its prospects, with no public timeline given. The legislative permanence of the arms embargo lift also remains unresolved. The lift is currently an administrative decision renewed annually based on certification by the US president under the East Med Act/NDAA. A bipartisan bill, the Cyprus Embargo Termination Act, sponsored by Bilirakis, Pappas, Titus and Malliotakis, would extend the renewal to a five-year basis and open the way for Cyprus to join NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme. It has been filed repeatedly, in 2024 and again in 2025, but has not been passed. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Motorcyclist, 24, in extremely critical condition after serious crash Girl, 10, hurt by battery thrown at APOEL-AEL match 39 degree peak and clear skies Monday Demetris Pierides: Building a cultural legacy to outlast generations New US ambassador arrives in Cyprus ahead of credentials ceremony Mitsotakis rules out snap election after €3.5bn tax and wage package At least 25 killed as bus plunges into ravine in Cape Verde Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.