Cyprus could join NATO when conditions permit, president says

Cyprus could apply to become a member of NATO once its armed forces receive the necessary training and equipment with US help to bring them up to the standards of the world's premier military alliance, the president of the Mediterranean island nation said Thursday.

President Nikos Christodoulides put Cyprus on a trajectory for possible NATO membership, ending weeks of media speculation about his government's intentions following his meeting with US President Joe Biden in Washington last month. The development goes against Cyprus' long-held policy of neutrality harking back to the Cold War era, when it walked a political tightrope between Washington and Moscow.

Christodoulides said although Cyprus can't join NATO at this time because of objections that Turkey would raise to its potential membership, the Cypriot National Guard shouldn't be denied the opportunity to...