I have the privilege of serving as Chair of the Transatlantic Legislators Dialogue (TLD), which is the longest interparliamentary exchange between the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament. In that capacity, I led a bipartisan Congressional delegation official visit to Cyprus and Spain this past month. During this trip, we met with a number of members of the European Parliament in Cyprus to discuss a number of topics of critical importance to both sides of the Atlantic, including trade issues, opportunities for security and stability in the Middle East, and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) concerns—particularly with elections in the west.
In Cyprus, I also led a meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides to discuss the island’s vital role in regional security and humanitarian efforts. Though the U.S. lacks a formal military base there, we leverage allied Cypriot and British facilities to support U.S. operations across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East—including humanitarian assistance in the region, contingency operations in Iran, and military personnel evacuations throughout the region. Cyprus has proven itself an indispensable partner in advancing peace and maintaining constructive dialogue with all stakeholders in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
In Spain, we reinforced the strength of a partnership built on shared defense and economic interests, and met with the Ministry of Economy, Defense Ministry, and Members of Parliament’s Defense Committee, and several American businesses that also have operations in Spain. With approximately 7,000 American military personnel stationed at Spanish bases, and Spain sourcing 30% of its liquefied natural gas and 66% of its military equipment from the U.S., our two nations have created a relationship that benefits both economies and enhances European security. But, we pushed the Spanish government to increase its defense spending to meet President Trump’s goals of 5% GDP spending toward defense.
