Cyprus has all the ingredients to be a credible and reliable partner for the US in maintaining stability and security in the eastern Mediterranean region, Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said.

In a statement to the AP ahead of a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Casoulides said the improved relationship culminated in legislation passed by the US Congress in 2019 lifting the embargo on non-lethal defense equipment and services.

The lifting of the embargo became possible after Washington dropped its demand that Cyprus stop offering refueling and other port services to Russian warships. The US has accused Russia of playing a highly destabilizing role in the eastern Mediterranean.

Kasoulides said Cyprus was ready to discuss concerns any partner might have about the malicious influence another country is exerting in the region. But he noted that Cyprus is a small country with limited resources, whose foreign policy is guided by strict observance of international law and good neighborly relations.

The Cypriot Foreign Minister said that Cyprus' position as an agent of regional stability strengthens its "developed networks of cooperation" with neighboring countries, including Israel, Jordan and Egypt.