The Cyprus problem is not a frozen conflict, and the reunification of Cyprus could offer incredible opportunities for all its people, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said in an interview with Germany’s public broadcaster ZDF, given on the occasion of Cyprus assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
ZDF asked whether the Cyprus issue should be considered a frozen conflict, to which President Christodoulides replied that “there is a lesson to be learned from the case of Gaza. There is no such thing as a truly frozen conflict.” For this reason, he continued, “the current status quo is not the end of the Cyprus problem. This situation is dangerous for all the island’s inhabitants. The reunification of Cyprus would offer incredible opportunities to all its people.”
Strategic autonomy
Speaking to ZDF about the agenda of the Cypriot Presidency, the President said that “as a small country, we have no hidden agenda. That is why it is easier for us to find compromises, and the EU has always functioned through compromise.” He identified three key objectives: first, strengthening the EU’s strategic autonomy, in terms of competitiveness, the economic framework for the coming years, migration, and EU policy on Ukraine.
“We must acknowledge that, as the EU, we have been dependent on the United States for defence, on China for raw materials, and on Russia for energy. Under such conditions, one cannot speak of genuine strategic autonomy. To achieve this, we must first and foremost enhance our competitiveness. To this we must add defence and security, without creating new dependencies, and overcome the high cost of energy,” he said.
Rapprochement with Turkey
The President also noted that another goal of the Cypriot Presidency is to bring the EU closer to the countries of the Middle East, as well as India and the Gulf states.
As a third objective, he highlighted “the everyday problems faced by EU citizens, such as housing, the cost of energy, and the negative exposure of young people to new technologies.”
Regarding Turkey, President Christodoulides said that “like all EU member states, Cyprus would stand to gain the most from a rapprochement with Turkey, provided that Turkey fulfils all the criteria set by the EU. I prefer a neighbour that is oriented towards Europe rather than one influenced by other forces.”
In the interview, the President also stated that Cyprus will work towards further strengthening relations between the EU and the countries of the Middle East.