The Cyprus issue is primarily a European issue and the European Union has every interest, as well as obligation, to actively contribute through a leading role to its final settlement, using, exploiting all the political and economic means and tools available to it in the context of Euro-Turkish relations, said President Christodoulidisin a greeting at an anniversary event on Thursday night for 20 years of accession.
The President emphasized that we do not demand anything less than what our fellow citizens of the rest of the member states of our Union enjoy and in this context we invest politically in the substantial support of Europe for the new initiative that we succeeded in launching through our own actions, with the appointment of the personal envoy of the UN Secretary General.
It was also mentioned at the extraordinary European Council in April where an interface was reached substantial eventual progress in the Euro-Turkish with substantial developments in the Cyprus issue, always within the agreed framework.
He expressed the belief that the acquis can act as the basis on which to build our common future in a reunified Cyprus, but also because the European Union, through its acquis, its principles and values, is the best insurance for the implementation of a possible solution to the Cyprus problem.
The President reiterated that the European Union is our main support in the effort to achieve peace in our country and to consolidate the feeling of security and cooperation in the troubled region of the wider Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East.
Our accession to the EU was the culmination of a multi-year strategic pursuit of a course where all the Governments made strenuous and persistent efforts, always with the valuable help, cooperation and substantial support of the Hellenic Republic, he noted further.
As he also mentioned, it is an undeniable fact that the added value that brings with it the edifice of the European Union, it is the most important collective achievement of humanity in the Old Continent since the Enlightenment.
He referred to crises that were successfully dealt with with our partners , such asthe economic collapse of the last decade and more recently the coronavirus pandemic.
Any challenges are always faced in a spirit of compromise and cooperation, for the common good, the good of the Union and its citizens , he noted.
“With what I mentioned above, I am not claiming that the EU is a society of angels, nor that the reason and role of some member states is not clearly stronger. I have no illusions. However, I have a clear position, a strong conviction, that dealing with the challenges of small states, especially under occupation, like our country, would be clearly more difficult, perhaps impossible, outside the EU”, he stressed.
He said that the Government is a devotee of an even stronger and more integrated Europe, stating that the EU will have even greater added value if its institutional deepening goes further, if it acquires even more common policies, if we as member states cede even more of our national sovereignty to supranational institutions.
“Building a federal European Union is, in my view, something that our collective interest dictates in today's difficult and constantly changing international context and something that will clearly make the European Union more effective as well”, said President Christodoulidis.
Continuing, he pointed out that the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the challenges of the twin transitions, green and digital, immigration, the need to strengthen our competitiveness, the investments that must be made in the fields of research and technology, clearly highlight the need for more Europe, since they can be achieved clearly faster and more effectively through our further institutional cooperation.
And exactly the same applies, he said, to the strategic autonomy of Union, in areas such as defence, security and energy.
He stated that our goal is not to be monothematic in our interventions and not to monopolize our interest in Brussels on the Cypriot and/or Euro-Turkish issues.
In this context, he added, initiatives such as “Amalthia” for a maritime humanitarian corridor to the tested population of Gaza, the initiative, together with other states, for substantial support of Egypt and Lebanon from the European Union and our joint visits with the President of the Commission, highlight the added value that small Cyprus brings to the large family of the European Union, using its geographical position, its excellent relations with all neighboring states and its highly capable human resources.
Regarding the Cyprus Presidency of the EU in the first half of 2026, the PtD said that our country will have a unique opportunity, among others, to contribute in an absolutely positive way, as an honest mediator, in ensuring institutional coherence and promoting as many legislative files as possible, which will expand the added value of the European integration process.
“Our credibility as a partner is important and we are constantly working for to strengthen it even more. I sincerely believe that such a development will strengthen our efforts to achieve our number one priority, the resolution of the Cyprus issue, where this year unfortunately we have the tragic anniversary of 50 years, half a century, since the Turkish invasion of 1974 Besides, the occupation of our homeland, the occupation of European territory, is an open wound in the body of the entire European Union,” he said. He concluded by saying that as Cypriot citizens, we feel proud to belong to most successful peace initiative in the world, which has today managed to develop into one of the strongest economies on the planet, with a profoundly strong value system and an undeniable geostrategic footprint.
