Cyprus has signed nine agreements with Bahrain and advanced energy and water cooperation deals with the UAE in a coordinated Gulf diplomatic push aimed at strengthening EU-Gulf ties during the country’s six-month Council presidency.
President Nikos Christodoulides secured agreements spanning higher education, military cooperation, culture and tourism during his Manama visit, whilst four ministers pursued desalination technology and natural gas projects in Abu Dhabi over the weekend.
The dual-track diplomacy reflects Cyprus’s strategic focus on Bahrain—one of only four EU states with an embassy there—which became a non-permanent UN Security Council member in January and currently chairs the Gulf Cooperation Council.
“Tangible results” during presidency
Christodoulides called his Bahrain visit “both symbolic and substantive” and emphasised its timing during Cyprus’s first month holding the rotating EU presidency.
“This is my first bilateral visit in this capacity, a clear indication of the importance we give to our cooperation with Bahrain,” he said, noting Bahrain’s GCC chairmanship creates opportunities for closer regional cooperation.
The nine agreements included mutual recognition of higher education qualifications, military cooperation, search and rescue training, and a business forum between the countries’ chambers of commerce.
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa welcomed the embassy opening and business initiatives, saying the relationship is “based on mutual understanding and respect, common values and constructive cooperation”.
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letympiotis said the agreements “constitute a tangible result of systematic preparatory work” and referenced a Joint Action Plan agreed by foreign ministers in April 2025 covering political, economic, investment and energy cooperation.
Cyprus’s EU presidency priorities include completing an EU-GCC free trade agreement, visa liberalisation and launching Strategic Partnership Agreement negotiations.
Ministers pursue water, energy deals in UAE
Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos led ministers for energy, agriculture and research to Abu Dhabi on Friday and Saturday, securing an umbrella agreement on strategic energy cooperation and meeting officials overseeing investment, technology and national energy policy.
“The political will from both sides is tangible,” Kombos said, noting discussions covered natural gas, desalination and cutting-edge technology.
Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou highlighted UAE desalination units already installed at Moni reservoir, saying Cyprus wants to “utilise the technologies they have here to improve and strengthen our systems” for water management.
Energy Minister Michalis Damianos said talks focused on “the arrival of natural gas, EEZ matters and renewable energy sources”, calling meetings “very constructive”.
Deputy Research Minister Nikodimos Damianou said Cyprus aims to transform from a services economy into “a knowledge-based economy for the new digital future”, with the UAE providing “expertise and technology” as a model partner.
Kombos also met Nickolay Mladenov, senior representative for Gaza at the US president’s Peace Council, to discuss Cyprus’s role in humanitarian aid, security and reconstruction efforts under UN Security Council resolution 2803.
