Cyprus will prioritise enhancing the European Union’s strategic autonomy and strengthening ties with the Middle East when it assumes the bloc’s rotating presidency in January, President Nikos Christodoulides said in an interview with Euronews.
President Christodoulides highlighted Cyprus’s unique position as both an EU member state and part of the Middle East region.
The president defined strategic autonomy as reducing European dependencies on other global powers.
“As a European Union, we were dependent on our security from the United States. As a European Union, we were dependent on energy from Russia. As a European Union, we are dependent on our raw materials from China,” he said.
Christodoulides announced plans to visit Kyiv on December 4 ahead of Cyprus’s presidency to demonstrate continued support for Ukraine despite his assessment that the war is unlikely to end soon. “We need to continue supporting Ukraine,” he stated.
On EU enlargement, the president expressed concern that candidate countries might “turn their back to the European Union” without tangible progress. He identified Montenegro as having the best prospects for advancement during Cyprus’s presidency.
Christodoulides highlighted Cyprus’s involvement in Middle East peace efforts, including attendance at the recent ceasefire signing ceremony in Sharm El-Sheikh.
“Cyprus presented a very specific plan to help implement the 20-point Gaza peace plan of President Trump,” he said, noting Cyprus’s “excellent relations with all stakeholders” in the region.
Regarding Cyprus’s division, Christodoulides rejected Turkish President Erdogan’s call for a two-state solution, insisting that any resolution must be based on a “bi-zonal, bi-communal federation” as specified in UN Security Council resolutions.
The president expressed optimism following the recent election of Tufan Erhurman as Turkish Cypriot leader, calling it “a positive development” and declaring his readiness to resume reunification negotiations “even next week” if the new leader supports the federation model.
“The current status quo cannot be the solution of the Cyprus problem,” Christodoulides said. “Reuniting our country is the only option ahead of us”.
(information from Euronews)
