Cyprus may join the Schengen Area as early as this year.

By the end of 2025, Cyprus will resolve all technical issues necessary for joining the Schengen Area of free movement. The Republic is already working on the benefits it will gain.

This was announced by the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, as reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Politico.

"We have addressed all political concerns regarding the ceasefire line and are now finalizing the technical details needed for accession," he stated.

During a conference in Nicosia, Christodoulides emphasized the advantages that membership in the Schengen Area would bring to Cyprus, especially in terms of tourism and investments. According to him, a special group in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is overseeing this matter.

He also mentioned that the Republic is in the final stages of eliminating visa requirements for Cypriot travelers to the U.S. A U.S. delegation is expected to visit Cyprus soon regarding this issue, after which announcements should follow.

Politico added that Cyprus has been a member of the European Union since 2004. Although its residents enjoy freedom of movement within the 27-country bloc, the island in the eastern Mediterranean is not yet part of the Schengen Area, which includes non-EU countries.

However, Cyprus is a unique case, as the island has been divided since 1974 between the Republic of Cyprus in the south and the Turkish-occupied north. Experts warn that if Cyprus joins Schengen without resolving this issue, the Green Line, currently a buffer zone, will become a hard external border of the EU.

This shift would require passport checks at checkpoints, altering their status and potentially increasing tensions. EU officials have warned that full membership in the Schengen Area would necessitate changes to the Green Line Regulation, which governs movement across the divided island.

It is worth noting that at the end of December, President Nikos Christodoulides presented a strategic plan for possible integration of the country into NATO during a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden. There was a positive response from Washington in return.