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Cyprus Other Foreign Policy Concerns
The Republic of Cyprus also participated in foreign
policy
debates on issues of broader interest to Cyprus as a
small,
nonaligned country. When approached by its Western
friends,
including the United States, Cyprus proved a reliable and
effective
partner in issues of common concern, such as antiterrorism
measures
and control of illegal narcotics, and it became
increasingly
interested in environmental causes, particularly in the
Mediterranean region.
Cyprus was also compelled because of proximity to
address the
Arab-Israeli issue and the Lebanon crisis that plagued the
nearby
Middle East throughout the 1980s. The island was
occasionally
touched by the violence of these disputes, when Israeli
and
Palestinian commandos carried out missions against each
other in
Cypriot coastal towns, and even in Nicosia. For the most
part,
Cyprus remained neutral, allowing the island to be the
meeting
place for informal diplomatic encounters between Arabs and
Israelis. Cyprus had active trade and cultural relations
with
Israel, and a fully accredited Israeli Embassy functioned
in
Nicosia. At the same time, Cyprus supported moderate
Palestinian
positions in international forums and sought more active
Arab
support of its position, appealing to Arab sentiment over
what it
saw as analogous situations in the respective Israeli and
Turkish
occupations of their territories.
Data as of January 1991
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