Cyprus is stepping up efforts to deepen cooperation with global tech giant Amazon as part of its drive to accelerate digital transformation. President Nikos Christodoulides met in New York with David Zapolsky, Amazon’s Senior Vice President and Chief Global Affairs & Legal Officer, to explore potential areas of collaboration.

The meeting builds on a series of high-level contacts between the Cypriot government and Amazon in recent months. In April, Christodoulides held talks in San Francisco with Panos Panay, Amazon’s Senior Vice President for Devices and Services, while discussions have also taken place with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the company’s satellite internet project, Amazon Kuiper. A delegation from Kuiper is expected to visit Cyprus in the coming weeks.

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the discussions are aligned with Cyprus’s ambition to establish itself as a regional hub for technology and innovation, leveraging its geographic location and growing ecosystem. The country is already home to more than 1,600 international companies, including 47 multinationals, while its startup sector has expanded fivefold since 2020, with many firms operating beyond Cyprus’s borders.

The information and communication technology (ICT) sector has been recording annual growth of over 17% since 2014 and now contributes nearly 14% to the national GDP. Alongside this growth, Cyprus has been investing strategically in data centers, cloud infrastructure, and artificial intelligence.

According to the presidency, these developments enhance Cyprus’s appeal to global technology companies and open the door for substantive partnerships that could benefit both the state and its citizens, while also strengthening Amazon’s footprint in the region.