US ambassador-designate John Breslow arrives in Cyprus

US ambassador-designate John Breslow has arrived in Cyprus to take up his post, becoming the first non-career political appointee to serve as Washington’s ambassador to the island. In a post on X on Saturday, the US embassy in Cyprus said Breslow was looking forward to presenting his credentials to President Nikos Christodoulides in the coming days. “Ambassador-designate John Breslow has arrived in Cyprus!” the embassy said. Breslow, a businessman and former Nebraska state auditor, was nominated for the post by US President Donald Trump and confirmed by the US Senate on August 7. Unlike his recent predecessors in Nicosia, Breslow comes to the post from outside the US diplomatic service. The significance of that was highlighted during his Senate confirmation hearing in April, when Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Jim Risch described him as the first political, non-career appointee to serve as US ambassador to Cyprus. Risch said the appointment demonstrated a “historic advancement” in relations between the United States and Cyprus. Breslow was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, and spent much of his professional career in the private sector. He was the owner and chairman of Linweld, an industrial gas and welding supply company which, according to Breslow, grew to become one of the largest companies of its kind in the United States. His career also included eight years in elected office. He was elected Nebraska state auditor in 1990 and re-elected in 1994, serving from 1991 until 1999. Originally elected as a Democrat, Breslow switched to the Republican Party following his re-election in 1994. He later sought the Republican nomination for governor of Nebraska in 1998, finishing second in the primary to Mike Johanns. His nomination to Cyprus comes at a time of considerably closer relations between Nicosia and Washington, something Breslow himself stressed during his confirmation hearing. He described the relationship as one based on a shared interest in peace, stability and prosperity in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, pointing to the deepening of security cooperation since the signing of the bilateral Statement of Intent in 2018 and the passage of the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act the following year. Breslow also singled out Cyprus’ geographical position, describing the island as being at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa and saying its partnership was “vital to American interests and to the broader transatlantic community”. Among his stated priorities is further strengthening economic ties between the two countries. Breslow told senators that closer relations had encouraged American companies to establish operations or expand their presence in Cyprus and said he intended to promote further trade and investment. Security cooperation will also feature prominently during his tenure. At his hearing, Breslow referred to military training and exercises carried out through Cyprus’ partnership with the US state of New Jersey, as well as the island’s role in helping evacuate US citizens from crisis areas in the region. On the Cyprus problem, Breslow committed himself to continuing US support for a Cypriot-led and UN-facilitated effort to reunify the island as a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Breslow’s nomination was formally sent to the Senate in January and he appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 16. His nomination subsequently cleared the committee and he was confirmed by the Senate on August 7. He will formally take up his duties after presenting his credentials to Christodoulides.