Foreign ministry seeks €137.75 million budget for next year

Nicosia, Cyprus. The foreign ministry requested parliamentary approval on Friday for a €137.75 million budget for next year. Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos attended the House finance committee meeting to explain the proposed spending.

Budget growth and diplomatic staffing

Kombos said the request was €5.3m, or four per cent, above this year’s budget. Compared with 2023, when the current government assumed office, the increase amounted to €34.9m, or 34 per cent.

He attributed the recruitment of 57 diplomats to the additional funding, saying this had brought the number of embassies operating with only one diplomat down from 34 in 2023 to 25.

A further 15 diplomats were expected to be recruited in due course, he said, reducing that number further.

Spending allocations

Kombos said recurrent spending accounted for €118.47m of the proposed budget, while €19.27m was allocated to development spending. The recurrent allocation included the Republic of Cyprus’ €18m contribution towards the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp).

Speaking later to the Cyprus Mail, he explained that development spending covered contributions to international organisations where Cyprus had donor-state status. These included the World Health Organisation and Unicef, the UN’s international children’s emergency fund, with donations determined in accordance with a country’s gross domestic product.

He said the allocation also covered humanitarian development funding channelled through Cyprus Aid and other bilateral mechanisms, alongside purchases of properties for Cyprus’ diplomatic missions overseas.