Cyprus has secured a safeguard measure preventing Turkey from participating in the European Union’s SAFE defence funding programme, President Nikos Christodoulides announced upon arrival at the European Council meeting in Brussels.
“I am pleased that our position regarding the participation of non-member states in the SAFE funding instrument has been adopted,” Christodoulides said, adding that “no third country that occupies territory or threatens the security of member states can under any circumstances participate in or utilise any European Union funding instruments in the defence and security sector”.
The president also highlighted the strategic importance of the first EU-Egypt Summit, noting that “our country, along with Greece and some other Mediterranean states, has long supported the need for this strategic cooperation”.
This cooperation was put into practice with the European Commission President’s visit to Cairo in 2024, in which Christodoulides participated, and continued with yesterday’s inaugural summit.
Christodoulides reported that Egypt’s president requested active EU involvement in implementing the U.S. President’s plan for Gaza. He added that he had briefed leaders about Cyprus’s own plan, “developed in coordination with the European Commission President, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel”.
The Cypriot president presented his six-point Gaza plan to the European Council, requesting the EU adopt Cyprus’s proposal as an EU plan.
He noted that the response from European partners was “very positive” and that “during the trilateral meeting between the Commission President, Council President and Egyptian President, the Commission President presented the Cypriot proposals as European proposals”.
“What needs to happen now is work to implement these alongside other existing proposals to ensure the American President’s plan is applied. If this plan is not implemented and we don’t move to the next phase, you understand the risks of a new crisis in the region and who will ultimately suffer the consequences,” he said.
Turning to Cyprus’s upcoming EU Council Presidency in less than 70 days, Christodoulides emphasised that Cyprus would work to transform the Mediterranean Pact from a document into specific actions for the wider Mediterranean and Middle East regions, demonstrating that the EU has both a voice and a role in the area.
He added that Cyprus aims during its Presidency to strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy across all sectors—defence, security, raw materials, bureaucracy reduction, and digital transition.
The president also expressed satisfaction that housing would be discussed at the European Council for possibly the first time, calling it “a major European challenge” and a “pan-European problem”.
He noted that while some claim this falls primarily under member state competence, “since it concerns all European states and in light of discussions on the multiannual financial framework, we expect the Commission to present a financial instrument in the near future that can be utilised by all member states”.
Regarding the war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, Christodoulides confirmed that “the 19th sanctions package against Russia has been adopted“.
He added that “there are American sanctions primarily concerning the energy sector, and proposals have been submitted by EU member state leaders that can replace energy which, under U.S. sanctions, cannot be channelled to Europe”.
Democratic Rally (DISY) party president Annita Demetriou separately expressed satisfaction that a reference to Cyprus was included in the European People’s Party (EPP) summit’s joint document, “confirming that European security architecture cannot be completed while a member state remains under Turkish occupation”.
According to a DISY announcement, Demetriou also noted that the EU is called upon to intensify efforts to restart substantive negotiations for Cyprus’s reunification based on UN resolutions and EU principles and values.
During the EPP Summit, a section on the Middle East was added to the party’s declaration following Cyprus’s initiative, according to sources.
The text, which makes specific reference to Cyprus and its potential role through existing mechanisms like the “Amalthea” initiative, emphasises the importance of active EU participation in implementing the Peace Agreement.
