Question tabled by AKEL Parliamentary Representative Y. Loucaides on the creation of CYCLOPS
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 6th October 2020, Nicosia
The Parliamentary Representative of the AKEL-Left-New Forces Group, Yiorgos Loucaides, sent a question to the Minister of Foreign Affairs through the parliamentary procedures in place, with regards the announcement made during the recent visit of the US Secretary of State to Cyprus for the establishment of the so-called “Cyprus Centre for Land, Open Seas and Port Security” (CYCLOPS).
The question is as follows:
“During the recent visit of the US Secretary of State to Cyprus, the establishment of a training centre on security issues in Larnaca (Cyprus Centre for Land, Open Seas and Port Security CYCLOPS) was announced.The competent Minister is called upon to brief the House of Representatives:
– What will be the status of the Centre be and on the basis of which legislative and regulatory framework will it operate? Based on what criteria has the area been selected? What are the financial contributions that will be demanded from the Republic for the provision of land, travel facilitations and the provision of trainers?
– Which Ministries and state services of the Republic will be involved in the operation of the Centre, in the provision of training and selection of trainers?
– Has any study been conducted by the government on the benefits or dangers arising from the operation of this Centre for the Republic of Cyprus and its citizens?
– How is the operation of the Centre connected to the Declaration of Intent signed in November 2018 between the US-Cyprus Foreign Ministers, the text of which has not yet been notified to the House of Representatives, despite repeated requests and the relevant assurances on the part of the Minister?
– The US Secretary of State has stated in his official statements that the Centre will provide know-how for the rest of the region on border security and non-proliferation issues (weapons of mass destruction). To which states in the region will the provision of training be addressed and to which not?
– According to the US State Department, the Centre will help address the activity of “malicious regional actors”. Which actors in the Eastern Mediterranean are considered by the government as being malicious and how does this reconcile with the US position, which considers the Russian Federation as the main factor destabilizing the Eastern Mediterranean? According to the US Secretary of State, the Centre will deal with the actions of “violent extremist organizations”. On the basis of what definition and what criteria does the Republic of Cyprus define these organizations and to what extent do they identify with the American government’s definitions?
To what extent has it been taken into account that the United States, which provides training on maritime safety issues, is not a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea?”
