U.S. funding helps Cyprus upgrade military bases for its role as a regional safe haven
A Cyprus’ military officer walks next of a sign bearing the U.S. and Cypriot flags at the site of a new helipad planing construction at the Evangelos Florakis naval base in Mari, Cyprus, on April 17, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
With help from U.S. taxpayers, Cyprus is upgrading key military installations to strengthen the mission it has carved for itself as a safe haven in the eastern Mediterranean for evacuees from the conflict-wracked West Asia and as a humanitarian aid hub.
Cyprus’ main Evangelos Florakis naval base, just 142 miles (229 kilometres) from Lebanon’s coast, will get a new, U.S. European Command-funded heliport that will be able to accommodate large, Chinook-type transport helicopters for airlifting evacuees out of conflict zones.
Published – April 20, 2026 11:46 am IST
